Ben Ross Biography

Ben Ross says he has come to terms with the fact his AFL career is over after being delisted by Hawthorn.

"I'm 26 now and I had a really good year at Hawthorn, I enjoyed every minute of it and was able to play a few games in a successful side and one of the strongest sides in the modern era," Ross said.

"I can hang my hat on that."

Hawthorn has delisted defender Jordan Kelly, and rookies Ben Ross and Derick Wanganeen, ahead of the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.

Hawthorn rookie Ben Ross says he is determined to make the most of his second chance at AFL level after being delisted by North Melbourne in 2011 and spending two years in the VFL where he won the Liston Medal as the league's best and fairest player in 2012.

"I was pretty immature in my early days at North Melbourne, and it probably took me too long to realise what it took," Ross told Sportsday radio.

"You get some injuries, and before you know it, it is all over.

"I was pretty devastated when it happened, and really I didn't realise what I was missing out on, and what effort it takes to take that opportunity.

"I've felt the lows, and I'm so grateful to get a second opportunity, because not many people do."

Kangaroo Ben Ross has put in the hard yards to return to AFL football, but his first game of 2009 delivered more than even he expected.

North Melbourne escaped with a narrow win after surviving an onslaught by Port Adelaide in the final minutes of the match.

"That was the longest quarter of footy I've ever played in. It was just so intense at every stoppage”, Ross said after the win.

"That last two minutes felt like 10. Everyone was around the ball and there was not one easy possession to be had out there. We just had to jam it up as best we could and hold on because they were coming home pretty hard.

"I'm not sure what happened exactly, we'll have to look at the review, but we may have switched off a bit mentally. It was great that we were able to hold on."