McGlynn’s brothers help breed success

By James Matthey

A lesser man might have crumbled after suffering an injury that prevented them from being part of a grand final winning side, but Ben McGlynn has shown more resilience than the average man.

The Wentworth product has become renowned for both his physical and mental toughness during his time at the Swans, traits which served him well after he was forced to sit out the 2012 decider with a hamstring injury, and he has his older brothers to thank.

“I owe a lot to my brothers for making me more resilient to the harder side of footy,” said McGlynn.

“Growing up with two older brothers picking on me and roughing me up all the time certainly gave me that harder edge.

“We’d always be out the back playing and what would start out as a simple game of kick-to-kick would soon escalate into some sort of fight.

“Shaun, being the eldest, would set (Jason and I) up a lot, and make us go at it…both of them certainly knocked me around a bit.”

Beginning his career at the Wentworth District Football Club, McGlynn hails from a family of country footballers, ensuring that a tough, no-nonsense approach to his footy was bred into him at an early age.

McGlynn has football flowing through his veins. His grandfather Michael played 271 games for the Red Cliffs Football Club before moving to NSW where his five sons (including McGlynn’s father John) all became integral members of the Wentworth Kangaroos.

“We’re all a pretty tight family,” said McGlynn.

“We all love the atmosphere of country footy.

“Playing junior footy there with all my brothers and cousins – I loved every minute of it.”

The small forward showed from an early age that he too possessed the same footballing talent that the rest of his family was blessed with, debuting for Wentworth’s first grade side at the tender age of 15.

The Kangaroos had a distinct family flavour to them at this time, as McGlynn shared the field with both of his older brothers as well as one of his cousins.

McGlynn is adamant that being thrust into the unforgiving environment of men’s football at such a young age was vital in his development as an AFL player.

“Playing senior footy back home certainly helped my development into the VFL,” said McGlynn.

“When you’re 15 and playing against men, it made it a lot easier for me further down the track.”

McGlynn was picked up by Hawthorn in the 2005 Rookie Draft, but his career has really blossomed since being traded to the Swans at the end of 2009, kicking 30 goals in 2012 before injury curtailed his impressive season.

While the 27-year old misses the comforts of home from time to time and being around the siblings who have played such a crucial role in turning him into the man he is today, McGlynn has found another set of brothers in the form of his Bloods teammates.

“A majority of the boys here are from interstate, so a lot of us are away from our families, away from our brothers and sisters.

“All we have away from the football club is each other, so we all tend to bond pretty quickly.

“You’ve got some blokes that you hang out with a lot more than others…I was lucky to have a familiar face in Josh (Kennedy) come to Sydney at the same time, which definitely made the move a lot easier.

“Josh and I are pretty close in that regard.”

Although the Swans forward still hopes that he has a long and prosperous career in front of him, the lure of returning home and re-uniting with his family is never too far from his thoughts, hinting at the possibility of one day donning the Wentworth jersey again with his brothers by his side.

“If my body’s still up to it, it will be good to one day hopefully play a game with all four of us,” said McGlynn.

“It will be something Mum and Dad would be proud of, and it’d be good for the footy club.”