At a glance:
- Ben Paton is continuing to grow his reputation as one of the Saints' most reliable shutdown defenders.
- The 21-year-old has added All-Australian forwards Eddie Betts, Tom Papley and Charlie Cameron to his list of scalps.
- Paton credits the Saints' increased emphasis on mindfulness in bolstering his confidence.
Charlie Cameron and Tom Papley have more in common than just being All-Australian calibre small forwards.
They've both been quelled by St Kilda's new super stopper in 2020.
With 16 games to his name entering this season, Ben Paton's reputation is growing by the week as he locks down on the opposition's best small forward.
The unheralded 21-year-old defender has played all 14 games to date in the new-look Saints line-up with his scalps only growing in profile.
Keeping Carlton's Eddie Betts to one goal in round five was followed by wins over Papley and Cameron, proving a major factor in the Saints' bounce back up the ladder this year.
"It's good that the players and coaches trust me to do those roles and it gives me a bit of belief," Paton told AFL.com.au this week ahead of the Saints' clash with Melbourne.
"It's about not getting too worried (and thinking), 'Oh they can do this, they can do that', but believing in what you can do."
Ben Paton's 2020 scalps
| Minutes spent on opponent | Disposals conceded | Goals conceded | |
| Round 5 v Eddie Betts | 66 | 4 | 1 |
| Round 6 v Travis Colyer | 42 | 5 | 0 |
| Round 7 v Tyson Stengle | 42 | 6 | 0 |
| Round 9 v Tom Papley | 85 | 7 | 1 |
| Round 11 v Gryan Miers | 49 | 6 | 0 |
| Round 13 v Charlie Cameron | 57 | 3 | 1 |
*Champion Data only recognises match-ups over 40 minutes
The third-year Saint credits the club's increased emphasis on mindfulness in delivering added confidence and belief he has what it takes to succeed at the top level.
Saints head of mental health and wellbeing Ben Robbins, who played 92 games for the Brisbane Bears, Lions and North Melbourne, crossed from the Roos ahead of this season.
"The mental side of things has been the biggest thing, (having) the belief you're good enough to play AFL footy and just trying to believe you can do it," Paton said.
"Our psychologist Benny Robbins has been awesome for us.
"He works with us every week, you can do stuff with him individually, but as a group he's been really good thing in the mental side of the game and it's probably what separates players and teams now.
"I do my own stuff (as well) to try and get the best out of myself."
Since the end of last season, Paton's path to becoming a mainstay in the Saints side has taken him to all corners of the globe and country.
A holiday in Thailand was followed by a visit to America with four teammates to get a headstart on pre-season at the EXOS human performance centre.
"We went to LA for a week… it was Nick Coffield, Doulton Langlands, Jack Billings, Oscar Clavarino and myself," Paton said.
"It's a company that deals with the NBA and NFL players in their off-season and guys that are about to get drafted," Paton said.
"It's that agility, footwork and speed stuff and it was awesome to spend some time there with those guys."
A cultural trip to the Tiwi Islands was followed by a visit back home to the family beef and dairy farms in Tallangatta (near Wodonga) with bushfires raging nearby.
"There were a couple of days where it was a bit scary, but we were lucky in the end not to get burnt out," he said.
"I was there at the time through January when they started, and I was stuck there for a couple of weeks."
A return to Melbourne began year three with housemate Jack Billings in what was only planned as a short-lived stopover when Paton was first drafted via pick 46 in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft.
"I was only meant to stay with him for a couple of weeks and move in with a host family or find someone else, but I must've done a few things right and he asked me to stay," he said.
"I've probably slacked off a bit on the household stuff since, but he's been really good for me.
"He's been awesome and one of the (bigger) pros at the club and things like recovery and nutrition, he's all over it."
After a six-week dash home to work with his dad on the farms during the season shutdown, Paton's return to Melbourne was short-lived before heading to the club's the quarantine hub in Noosa.
And after earning a one-year contract extension in 2018 on top of his initial two-year draft deal, Paton finds himself out of contract at season's end.
His sharp form is expected to soon be rewarded with a new multi-year extension with Saints list boss James Gallagher beginning talks with Paton's management in the past month.
