After nine seasons and over 150 games for Gold Coast, Ben Ainsworth returned home to Melbourne at the end of 2025, landing at IKON Park following a three-way trade with the Suns and Port Adelaide.
From the outset, Ainsworth gained the respect of his teammates as a hard-working small forward that poses a threat both around goal and higher up the ground.
A former Vic Country teammate of Harry McKay and Jacob Weitering before being drafted, Ainsworth - affectionately nicknamed ‘Banger’ - was a key recruit for a Carlton side that underwent significant change at the end of 2025, becoming one of seven players to pull on the Carlton guernsey for the first time in Opening Round of 2026.
