THE ability of Ben Jacobs as a tagger is well known and well publicised.

But the extent of the North Melbourne midfielder’s impact is only now being fully realised.

Arguably the game’s best — and perhaps last — pure shutdown player, the Kangaroos tagger’s list of victims this season is both extensive and illustrious.

Each week the question on everyone’s lips going into a Kangaroos game is: ‘Who will Ben Jacobs go to?’ Such is his record, it’s almost a given he will do his job effectively.

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Tom Mitchell couldn’t be stopped before he was limited to his quietest game as a Hawk by Jacobs, Clayton Oliver was forced forward by him and Seb Ross into a defensive role.

Jacobs’ biggest scalp was his job on an in-form Mitchell in North’s upset Round 5 win.

Mitchell went into the game averaging an incredible 40 disposals per match through the first month of the season, yet according to Champion Data he was held to just 12 disposals in 85 minutes when paired alongside Jacobs throughout the afternoon.

To put Jacobs’ effort into perspective, Mitchell has averaged a disposal every 2.9 minutes in every other game this year. Against Jacobs, it was a disposal every 7.1 minutes.

Stats courtest of Champion Data. Source: FOX SPORTS

His tagging work has even earned him a new nickname with AFL great Terry Wallace.

“If you think of a snake that wraps around you and squeezes the life out of you ... a Boa Constrictor. I reckon Ben Jacobs is a ‘Boa Restrictor’,” Wallace told SEN’s Afternoons.

But while many rightfully focus on the defensive side of Jacobs’ game, the 26-year-old’s offensive work has improved out of sight since his return from a debilitating foot injury.

That’s been reflected throughout his last three weeks, where all three performances have come against imposing direct opponents — Tom Mitchell, Robbie Gray and Luke Parker.

Against Mitchell, he had two more disposals when directly paired together. Against Gray, he had five more disposals. Against Parker, he had six more disposals.

It was that showing last Saturday night, in North Melbourne’s thrilling two-point win over Sydney, where the offensive side of the 26-year-old’s game was fully highlighted.

The efficiency and poise of Jacobs’ 29 touches were just as eye-catching as his role on Parker.

Along with a game-high nine tackles and 32 pressure acts, Jacobs also had a game-high nine score involvements and went at 83 per cent efficiency throughout the match.

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His game was the perfect balance of attack and defence — something he had been working and building towards for the best part of the six weeks since his return from injury.

“(He) remains the consistent theme through it all,” AFL legend Garry Lyon said of Jacobs on Fox Footy’s On The Couch earlier in the week.

“You talk about complementary list development. All of a sudden you’ve got Jed Anderson, Billy Hartung and then Ben Jacobs, who is so important. He’s critical.”

After suffering a foot injury midway through 2016, Jacobs missed 38 straight North Melbourne senior games — appearing just three times in the VFL through that period.

His impact since returning has been significant. In fact, the Kangaroos have won 20 of their last 26 games where Jacobs has featured, with his role crucial in each victory.

Jacobs will again line up for North Melbourne against Richmond on Sunday.

The last time he took on the Tigers was back in 2015, in a fateful elimination final. On that day, he kept Trent Cotchin to just nine disposals in another superb shutdown role.

Look out Richmond. And look out Cotchin.

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