Ben Hobbs' draft stocks continue to rise, with some experts placing the former Horsham Demon as high as five in their AFL Draft rankings.
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Since his NAB League return from injury on June 19, the 17-year-old has been in stellar form for the Greater Western Victoria Rebels, averaging 30.6 disposals and a goal from his last three NAB League games.
The Ballarat Clarendon College Student also amassed 37 disposals and two goals in a strong showing for Vic Country against Vic Metro in a trial match that same month.
Hobbs' stand-out form as a tough inside-midfielder that can hit the scoreboard, has some commentators drawing comparisons between his playing style and that of Collingwood star Taylor Adams.
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While this might be a distraction for some, Hobbs' focus continues to remains clear.
"I think it's pretty good at this time of year but also for me it's something that I'm proud of for the hard work getting to this point," Hobbs said of the attention.
"But there's still a lot of work to be done and there's still three months until the draft, so it's exciting and it's good to read, but I'm not reading too much into it at this stage."
As for being compared to Adams, Hobbs trained alongside the Collingwood vice captain earlier this year and said he was a big fan.
"I watch him and Travis Boak a fair bit on how they play their game," he said.
"I'd love to end up a player like them it would be pretty good.
"I was at Collingwood for a week so that was awesome to see the work he (Adams) puts into his game and how he was as a person as well."
Like others, the disruptive nature of the 2021 season has been a constant source of frustration for the Ballarat Clarendon College year 12 student, however he has managed to make the most of his time back in Horsham during lockdown.
"It's been really tough with school and the stop-start nature of this year but I've used this time when I'm away just to spend time with family," he said.
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"When I've come back I've been pretty happy with how I've performed so I've got to just keep trying to play to my strengths when I return and just get through the year."
Hobbs' Rebels' side currently sit second on the NAB League Ladder after nine games and have their sights set on winning their second ever premiership.
Despite coming off a disappointing loss to ladder-leaders Sandringham Dragons, the star inside-midfielder is positive his side can bounce back.
"The Rebels haven't had a heap of success but all the Rebel's boys are pretty confident that we can do something special this year," he said.
"I think that loss will be good for us and we'll respond pretty well."
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