Ben Cavarra has not played any of the last 5 games for Western Bulldogs.
Ben Cavarra (born 20 December 1995) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He spent a decorated junior career as a midfielder at the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup. Overlooked by AFL clubs because of his height, he spent four seasons in the Victorian Football League (VFL) with Frankston and Williamstown, where he took on his present role as a small forward. He was selected by the Western Bulldogs in the 2018 national draft, the sixth time he had nominated.
Cavarra is from Lysterfield, a suburb of Melbourne, and was educated at St Joseph's in nearby Ferntree Gully. He spent a successful stint of junior football at the Eastern Ranges in the TAC Cup, starting by winning the 2012 Pennington Medal (the club's best and fairest award) as a bottom-age player. A strong 2013 season followed; Cavarra captained the Ranges to a premiership, winning the TAC Medal as best on ground in the grand final. He also tied for the Morrish Medal (the competition's best and fairest) on 16 votes, and won a second consecutive Pennington Medal, a feat that had previously been matched only by Sam Mitchell and Rory Sloane. Cavarra also represented Vic Metro at that year's AFL Under 18 Championships. He missed out on attending the national draft combine, instead attending the Victorian session, where he ran a 20-metre sprint in under three seconds, a personal best.
"I can't change my height, I've just got to look at the positives from it ... I'm able to be quicker around the ground and to have a low centre of gravity and be able to put my body on the line"
Cavarra after being overlooked in the 2013 AFL draft
Cavarra was not selected in the 2013 AFL draft, despite his accolades; clubs were chiefly concerned about his short stature (he stood at just 173 centimetres (5 ft 8 in)), but also his lack of speed and kicking accuracy. He considered joining a VFL team, and decided on the Frankston Dolphins, as the club was not affiliated with an AFL team, meaning he would have a greater chance of playing in their senior side. Cavarra had largely played as a midfielder prior to joining Frankston, but expressed a desire to take on a forward-line role.