In summary:

Lively small forward Ben Ronke announced himself to the world in season 2018, making his AFL debut, playing 18 senior matches and winning a number of games off his own boot.

The 20-year-old Calder Cannons product kicked a bag of seven goals in Round 8, five in Round 17 and four doubles en route to finishing fourth on Sydney’s goal-kicking leaderboard.

But Ronke prides his game on immense tackling pressure and sees kicking goals as a bonus.

The youngster averaged four tackles per game in 2018, joining the likes of Tom Papley and Will Hayward in creating a cauldron of pressure inside Sydney’s forward 50.

He collected an AFL Rising Star nomination and signed a new deal, inking a two-year contract extension to link himself with the Swans until at least the end of 2020. 

What the numbers say:

Games: 18

Goals: 24

Kicks: 150

Handballs: 78

Disposals: 228

Marks: 45

AFL Fantasy: 64.8 (average)

Best performance:

Round 8: Sydney Swans v Hawthorn, MCG

Ronke blitzed the record books in Sydney’s gripping eight-point win over Hawthorn in Round 8. The Victorian became the youngest Swan since Silvio Foschini in 1982 to kick seven goals in a game and the first footballer in history to collect seven goals and 10 tackles in a match. He also joined star forward Lance Franklin as one of just two Swans to have kicked seven goals in a game since John Longmire took control in 2011, while Ronke and 2005 premiership forward Barry Hall are the only two Swans to have kicked four first-quarter majors since the turn of the century. Ronke became the youngest player competition-wide to bag seven goals in a game since gun Giant Jeremy Cameron in 2013, while he became the first player of any age to do so at the MCG since former Magpie Travis Cloke in 2015. Ronke’s outstanding solo performance earned him a perfect three Brownlow Medal votes, a perfect 10 AFL Coaches’ Association votes and the AFL’s Round 8 Rising Star nomination.

What they said:

Ben Ronke

“Coming into the season having not played a game you just want to get the debut. Off the back of a long, strong pre-season that was the main goal. To be able to come in and have an impact and build on that is something you can reflect on now. Obviously a lot of work goes into it so I’m very happy with how the season panned out."

Forwards coach Steve Johnson

“I was very happy with what Benny was able to achieve in his first year in the AFL. He came from the clouds a little bit. We were confident in his pre-season that he’d be able to offer us something a little bit different and his third game was a real breakout game, kicking seven goals at the MCG against Hawthorn to almost single-handedly get us over the line. But his pressure and work ethic week in and week out is what we love.” 

In pictures:

A moment to savour: Debutant Ben Ronke is swamped by teammates after booting his first AFL goal in the Swans' clash with the Cats in Round 6.

Electric feeling: Ronke gets a taste of his first Gatorade shower after debuting against Geelong.

'How about it!': Ronke celebrates one of seven goals in the Swans' thrilling win over the Hawks in Round 8.

And trialling a fresh new hairdo for Sydney's date with Carlton in Marn Grook at the SCG.

Stay tuned for more season reviews at sydneyswans.com.au over the remainder of this week.