St Kilda defender Ben Paton has declared West Coast premiership player Liam Ryan his toughest opponent.
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Back home in the Mitta Valley after his breakout season, the 22-year-old restricted former All-Australian small forwards Eddie Betts and Charlie Cameron to one goal apiece, but it was the classy Eagle who provided the greatest danger.
"All those players who are good on the ground and in the air (including Kane Lambert and Toby Greene, are hard) but Liam Ryan's probably one of the best I've played on, he's quick, he's good in the air and on the ground, those players that do everything and he's got that X-factor as well," he said.
Liam Ryan's probably one of the best I've played on, he's quick, he's good in the air and on the ground.
- Ben Paton
The fact Paton's now the Saints 'stopper' indicates how quickly he's developed, with coach Brett Ratten calling him a "mini Jack Billings", his housemate and team-mate, who was elevated to the Saints' leadership group last season.
"If you do your work during the week and watch vision, you figure out what they (the smaller forwards) like to do and try and take that away from them on game day," he suggested.
"But you've got to be able to play your own game and use my strengths as well, there's no point just being dictated to by them."
Paton boasts a number of weapons, including his contest marking and proficiency on both feet.
"Dad (Steve) said coming through Auskick, 'if you can't kick both feet, you'll never get a game'," he offered.
Paton came into the 2020 season on 16 games, but played all 19 as the Saints snapped a nine-year finals drought under enormously popular coach Ratten in what was one of the AFL's feel good stories.
"I had a bit of confidence going into the year after I played a bit of footy the last few seasons, but being able to play round one and cement my spot from there was a real bonus," he explained.
"Brett Ratten's really big on our football sense, we do a lot more football drills.
"We were probably a bit too attacking at times (in previous years) and that left us vulnerable on the rebound.
"Our team defence has improved and we need to keep improving that to be a (regular) finals team and contending."
The Saints pipped the Western Bulldogs in a three-point elimination final, kicking seven goals to two in the second and third quarters, before surviving a frenetic fightback in the final minutes.
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It was the club's first finals win in a decade, but eventual premiers Richmond ended the Saints' season in the semi-final.
"We didn't have the ultimate success, so there's still a lot to work on," Paton said as the rejuvenated Saints look to 'maintain the rage'.
