Cobden boys to meet in AFL prelim

Childhood mates Ben Cunnington and Gary Rohan shared a dream they’d be drafted to the same AFL club and play finals together.

It was ruined in 2009 when they went to North Melbourne and Sydney respectively, with picks No.5 and No.6 picks in the draft.

But Friday night will offer up the next best thing when they square off at ANZ Stadium in a preliminary final.

“To be playing in a preliminary with (one of us winning) the opportunity to be in a grand final, it’s crazy really,” Cunnington reflected.

Crazy is somewhat of an understatement, given the pair’s history.

Cunnington and Rohan forged a bond while playing junior football with the Cobden Bombers.

They were then teammates at Geelong Falcons, sharing biweekly bus trips from south-western Victoria for training and games with the TAC Cup outfit.

“They did a bloody lot of travelling together,” reflected Geelong Falcons’ talent manager Michael Turner.

They also played for Vic Country together before the league’s talent distribution system introduced the tyranny of distance into their friendship.

Cunnington joined the AFL side he supported as a child and remained a Victorian, while Rohan was shipped off to the bright lights of Sydney.

“We don’t keep in touch as much as we used to … but we still run into each other every now and then in the off-season,” Cunnington said.

“It will be good to get out there beside him and give him a knock or two.

“When we get out there we’ll give each other a wink and a bit of a punch and we’ll have a chat after the game.

“Our parents still keep in touch a fair bit. They’re all pretty excited.”

Both 23-year-olds have had their doubters in the past four years.

“But people who understand football know boys have to get 50 games under their belt and a couple of pre-seasons to develop,” Turner said.

Rohan’s path has comfortably been the most challenging.

Not only did he have to deal with relocating from the self-proclaimed `Dairy Capital of the world’ to a foreign city with over 2500 times the population.

Rohan also had a horrific broken leg, in round four of 2012 when he and Cunnington both played on an AFL field together for the first time.

“Gary hasn’t had it easy, but he’s one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen come through the Falcons,” Turner said.

“Ben hasn’t had it easy either though. The first couple of seasons he struggled a bit, because he was injured and didn’t get to have a full pre-season.”

Turner suggested this year they’ve both stepped up – Rohan turning heads as a reformed rebounding defender and Cunnington earning plaudits for his sheer consistency.

But their values remain very much the same.

“I always text them and wish them all the best before a big game or if they’ve done really well in a match,” Turner said.

“They always text me back in five minutes.

“It show they’ve still got those values. They’ve still got that link to their junior days.

“They really appreciate what people have done for them. They’re respectful enough to know people have helped them. They’re just great kids.”

It’s part of the reason why the town of Cobden – also responsible for the Merrett brothers on Essendon’s books – remains proud of the duo.

“It’s reasonably unusual for one TAC Cup club to have the No.5 and No.6 picks in the draft, so for Cobden it was fantastic,” Turner said.

“This prelim means a massive amount to the Falcons, and to the club and town of Cobden.”

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