New Zealand midfielder Ben Hick has been announced as the new Captain of the Northern Suns for the 2019 AFL New Zealand Premiership.
A nominee for the 2018 Senior Men’s Player of the year, Hick has been a stand out in the AFL New Zealand Premiership playing for the Southern Saints in 2016-2017 and was a squad member of the 2017 Premiership side.
After a successful 2017 season which saw the Sun’s push the Saints for the title, 2018 was deemed disappointing as they finished in fourth place with only two wins to their name.
“I’m extremely excited to be leading the Northern Suns in 2019. Each season, the Suns show signs of being a Premiership team but have struggled with consistency.”
Ben made his debut at the 2017 International Cup after having been involved in the AFL New Zealand High Performance Programme for ten years and earned a spot in the International Cup World Team through hard work and determination.
In August this year, the 28 year old pledged his commitment to be apart of the 2020 International Cup and joined Captain Andrew Howison and Vice Captain Sam McKenzie as other notable squad members committing to the International Tournament.
“IC17 was an amazing campaign to be apart of and deserved a trophy to top it off. I suspect the majority of the 2017 squad members will be highly motivated to go one better in 2020. Personally I cannot wait to get back to Melbourne to have another crack.”
Hick will team up with new Head Coach James Bowden in what will be a brand new set up for the Premiership Club.
“I look forward to working with James (Bowden) to bring a strong team culture and more consistent performances on and off the field. If we get this right early, we will be strong contenders in 2019.”
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