Delisted Billy Longer

[Squizz]

Billy Longer
DOB: 12/05/1993
Height: 201cm

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-10-25/the-billy-longer-story

Longer was a prodigious junior footballer. He played for Macleod JFC before continuing his development for the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup.

Longer was also an exceptional basketballer and even took up the martial art of Muay Thai to complement his elite ball skills.

(In) 2010 (he) embarked on an AIS/AFL Academy trip to South Africa and was also selected in the Vic Metro side as an underage player.

Longer was touted as a first-round draft pick capable of slotting onto an AFL list and making an immediate impact.

However 2011 began poorly for Longer, who suffered Glandular Fever but finished runner-up in the Northern Knights best and fairest award.

His excellent year and strong leadership skills were also recognised with the captaincy of the victorious Vic Metro team and selection as the ruckman in the TAC Cup team of the year and the 2011 All-Australian team.

A slight hamstring injury meant he was unable to compete in the majority of the draft combine fitness testing, but (he was) selected by Brisbane with pick 8.

His first season at Brisbane began promisingly when he played as a change-up ruckman and forward during the pre-season competition, but he was forced to wait until round three to make his AFL debut.

Longer mustered just four more games for the season.

It was a similar story in 2013 as Leuenberger shouldered the vast majority of the ruck responsibilities by himself.

 

[Squizz]

2013 NEAFL form:

2 Dominated ruck, great physical presence all day.
3 Controlled ruck, good tap work, kicked a goal.
4 Senior emergency.
7 Bye.
8 Rested.
9 Big game. Won a stack of hitouts and was monumental in the last quarter.
12 Won a lot of hit outs and was a real physical presence.
13 Rested.
14 Dominated hit outs, and was a big physical presence.
15 Dominant game in the ruck.
16 Dominated hit outs, could win more disposals.
17 Injured.
18 Bye.
19 Dominated ruck, solid around the ground.
20 Best afield with 31 touches, nine tackles, two goals.
21 Lots of hitouts, marked well around the ground
22 Bye.
23 Serviceable effort carrying the rucking load.
SF  Rucked fairly well and pressed forward to kick a goal. 40 hitouts.
PF  Solid in ruck, but was lacking around the ground.

 

[CHBench]

North Melbourne ruckman Hamish McIntosh, who mentored Longer, said the tall had all the tools to make an impact in the AFL.
"Billy was great to work and is a very coachable young player," McIntosh said. "He has a great leap and presence about him and his athleticism is a real strength."
However, the spring-heeled Northern Knight, whose leadership and maturity are also highly rated features of his draft profile, has something of a quirk in his hit-out technique.
The under-18 All-Australian ruckman is a natural right-footer, but does the bulk of his tap work to his onballers with his left hand.
"I get a lot more height when I jump off my right leg, so it is just natural to use my left arm to get as much reach as possible," he said.
"I do favour using my left hand but I can use my right so it does open up the full 360 degrees."
Likened to a young Dean Cox, the mobile big man's tap work was a class above his rivals in the TAC Cup last season.
His speed and overhead marking also makes Longer a goal-kicking threat rotating forward.
While the 18-year-old was also a gun junior basketballer, it was a decision to take up the martial art Muay Thai several years ago that hastened his physical transformation in preparation for the AFL.
Longer said the Muay Thai training strengthened his core and helped outmanoeuvre his man at the stoppages.
"It was a big help for my cardiovascular (system) and my hand-eye co-ordination, for things like marking and handballs," Longer said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/longer-way-to-the-top/story-fnau1fjg-1226185219035

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Billy Longer on Trade Radio

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Got bored, found the Phantom Drafts for KM, Snoop and Quigley.

#9 GWS - Billy Longer (VIC – Ruck/KPF)
Height: 202cm, Weight: 98kg, DOB: 12/05/1993
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Style: Paul Salmon
Player comparison:
Range: 4-15
Profile: Ruckman who can also have an impact as a forward. Looks like a really solid prospect and is the standout ruckman in this draft. Has great size and should grow out solidly. Strong overhead and can take a strong contested grab. Every time you hear about him you hear about his curious left handed tap work for a right footer. For a big has good pace. Gives solid effort and gives those 2nd and 3rd efforts and is very good at ground level. One thing that stood out to me with Longer at the champs is that during the quarter breaks he would always be giving his team mates a rev up and on field would always encourage his team mates consistently which is a good sign. Like most ruckman at a similar age needs to work on endurance and can still get better at pushing forward and being a dangerous marking target, but it should come. Kicking while he has good penetration already he still needs a fair bit of work in on it, doesn’t find the intended target nearly consistently enough. As a forward though is a really strong target and can provide a serious option, so doesn’t have to be a pure ruckman although at his height you’d think eventually that’s the role he plays primarily.

# 11 GWS – Bill Longer (Northern Knights / 202 / 95 / 93)

Giants don’t have any ‘A’ class ruck prospects on their list and this kid is a natural. For mine he is also a player they could throw in for a dozen games next year quite easily and I think his progress will be similar to Vardy’s. He gets around the park well, can be a link man, gives 2nd effort when required but most importantly takes contested marks which means he can be thrown forward and that is crucial in the modern game. The only knock I have on him is at times his skills aren’t as good as you would hope for a top pick. In fact I think there is a chance if they can be convinced Lions won’t take him then maybe they leave him to the next batch but if Brisbane and Port had any brains they would show all the signs of being into him to shake loose the best mid prospects they can.
AFL Comparison – Dean Cox..’ish

Pick 5 - GWS

Now things start to get interesting. Giles will go alright next year with Brogan, and Phillips has some talent, but the ruck is probably the biggest need area for GWS based on what is already at the club. Longer is head and shoulders above the next best ruck talent and I don’t take the risk that Port might go with a best available policy and take him. Need would be too high here for me. WHE and Buntine are being talked about here and if GWS are confident Port will not take Longer they might go with one of them.

Billy Longer
DOB 12/5/93 Ht 201 Wt 98

We are going through a bit of a golden age for young ruck prospects and Longer is another one. Longer is probably the best ruck prospect to come through the draft in the last couple of years (note Smith was a zone selection and not drafted). I think he will develop into a very physical style of ruck and he will be banging bodies with the likes of Mumford before too long.

Currently he has a reasonable physique for an AFL ruck but he is only going to become a very imposing figure even by AFL standards as he gets older and spends more time in the gym. He has nice height and he uses it very well. He is not a huge possession ruck but he does work hard and as he improves his endurance I think he will become more involved. At the moment he works hard and covers plenty of ground but that is usually just getting where he needs to be for a contest. He also tends to die a bit in the second half of games a bit. So currently the mind is willing but the body can’t hold up its end. From the amount of work he currently does and the amount he pushes himself I don’t see there being any problem for him to get his endurance up to scratch.

In the ruck contest itself he was far and away the best tap ruck in the Champs this year. He is right handed but taps with his left hand for some reason but be that as it may he is very effective with that left hand. He gets good height on his leaps, controls his body excellently and directs his taps down the throat of the free midfielder. He is very good at finding the open guy and when it comes to a wrestle at bounces or throw ins he is very strong and holds his ground well. After the tap work has been done he recovers very quickly and will follow up and become involved in the play. He has nice hands in close and shepherds and clears space for his mids to work in very nicely.

The other feature of his game is his marking. He is a stand out with the ball dropping on his head, having great judgment of the ball in the air and using his height and stretch to take it where few others can get to it. His hands are very soft and he watches the ball intently into his hands and is not distracted by body contact. He works hard to get into the square at both ends when the balls are coming in and he regularly comes up with marks close to goal. He hasn’t been a big leader this year but last year when he played as a forward a lot at the Champs I thought he got out on the lead well and was difficult to stop. I would expect he could start his career as a forward / 2nd ruck and be very dangerous doing so. He is pretty quick for a big man and last year lead to pretty good spots. He also presents as a great goal square target given how strong he is in taking those types of balls.

The big weakness in his game is his kicking. He seems to look to take pretty good options but his execution lets him down very regularly. He has little or no confidence in his kicking and when he is forced to kick he punches or underkicks it and does not kick through it. I am not sure he watches the ball onto the boot enough and his drop may be a little erratic. When he does just go long he has reasonable penetration and I have a couple of notes from games commenting on him making a nice long kick. His kicking for goal is not much better than his field kicking which is a factor which might inhibit his usefulness as a forward option. Wherever he goes to next year be it Sydney or Adelaide he is going to be doing a lot of work on his kicking.

Longer was one of the leaders of the Vic Metro side and if you saw any of their games this year you would have noticed him being the one who was doing the talking to the players. Overall I think he is an excellent prospect and if he can sort out his kicking could easily become one of the elite rucks in the game.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Press Conference with Longer & Bruce

 

[CHBench]

​

St Kilda ruckman Billy Longer excited about his new opportunity​

​

WARWICK GREEN, November 14, 2013 10:00PM​

​

"If I didn't see an opportunity with a club that looked like it was heading somewhere then I would have stayed at Brisbane,'' Longer said, "and I was open to that possibility as well.''​

​

"It's just that I thought St Kilda was the best place for me to develop my football. I saw the direction that this club was heading and also an opening, with Ben McEvoy leaving, for me to play some football. Added to the coming-home factor it just seemed like a great opportunity that I didn't want to miss.''​

​

"I believe St Kilda is making the right decisions and going about it the right way to develop a team that can be a powerhouse in the AFL. Recruiting younger guys and putting games into the existing players who are showing a lot of promise.

''I mean, I don't know if I can say this, but it's not like we'll be aiming to win the flag next year but we're definitely aiming to develop the team and play good football. You've got to go into the season thinking that you will play better football than you did the year before, and do that again and again until you do really make your stamp on the competition.''

​

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/st-kilda-ruckman-billy-longer-excited-about-his-new-opportunity/story-e6frf33l-1226759968320#ixzz2kmOZ8800​

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

If you can get past the fact that, ya know, he says 'ya know' 34 times in ~2 minutes then it's a pretty good video, ya know.

http://www.saints.com.au/video/2013-11-20/meet-the-recruits-billy-longer

 

[Mindtraveller]

If you can get past the fact that, ya know, he says 'ya know' 34 times in ~2 minutes then it's a pretty good video, ya know.

http://www.saints.com.au/video/2013-11-20/meet-the-recruits-billy-longer

At least it is not 'ummm'

 

[Squizz]

If you can get past the fact that, ya know, he says 'ya know' 34 times in ~2 minutes then it's a pretty good video, ya know.

http://www.saints.com.au/video/2013-11-20/meet-the-recruits-billy-longer

Not sure if this is the same thing (with amended title)?

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-11-20/billy-longing-for-ruck-role

“Tom Hickey is another developing ruckman that played a few games last year and showed a lot of promise. So hopefully sometime down the track we will be able to correlate a two-ruck duo where we share the load.”

“Jack Newnes I got along really well with and we’ve been mates for a long time. I actually met Tom Hickey a few years ago and he sort of came into the AIS and it’s been good. Everyone is really friendly and this makes the transition a bit easier.”

“I think I’m pretty competitive. It’s definitely something I’m trying to work on – being that aggressive ruckman who can follow up and create space for the rovers around me. That’s something that I’m definitely going to be trying to work on and improve – that’s my presence and aggression around the contest. I’ll put my head over the ball.”

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Billy Longer post-match Round 10:

 

[maanco]

Maybe a trade of say Saunders and our 2nd round pick for a GWS mid might work.
Or Longer and our 2nd or 3rd round pick for a 1st round pick.

Longer is worth a first round pick alone.

 

[King_Steele]

Longer is worth a first round pick alone.

We got him for pick 25 though..

 

[Wright 1]

Yes, but he was a top ten draftee ruckman. We got him cheap cos he wanted out of Brissy. Played some good games and his value would have risen IMO. We all know that rucks take many years to mature to an AFL standard.

 

[BrianSpeaking]

Yes, but he was a top ten draftee ruckman. We got him cheap cos he wanted out of Brissy. Played some good games and his value would have risen IMO. We all know that rucks take many years to mature to an AFL standard.

He's way off a first round pick IMO. Luke Molan was pick 9 in the 2001 super draft and played zero games, was he still worth a first rounder two years later? Longer only played as we had no other options, will be lucky to play 100 games.
I remeber I was pillored for saying Stanley would struggle to play 50 games for us, how many did he actually play?
In regards to Hoskin-Elliot etc, if they are out of contract we just pick one of them up through the PSD, no need to trade for them.

 

[maanco]

He's way off a first round pick IMO. Luke Molan was pick 9 in the 2001 super draft and played zero games, was he still worth a first rounder two years later? Longer only played as we had no other options, will be lucky to play 100 games.
I remeber I was pillored for saying Stanley would struggle to play 50 games for us, how many did he actually play?

How can you say that billy is no good, his only had 3 years in the system? He is one of the better young Ruckman in the game. Give him time to develop, he is really good below his knees for a ruckman and quite quick and agile.
As you said Luke Molan played ZERO games Longers played 25 in the 3 years his been on an AFL List! Longer Also Played alongside Hickey in a few games, so he has been selected for his merits, not because we "had no other option."

Note: Shaun Hampson was traded for a second round pick.

Rhys Stanley played 58 AFL games for us, and was then traded (along with a low pick) to Geelong for Pick 21. I am happy with that, it's much better than only 50 games.

 

[maanco]

BrianSpeaking im interested in why you think longer wont make 100 games? Please explain?

 

[stkildathunda]

BrianSpeaking im interested in why you think longer wont make 100 games? Please explain?

Dont worry Longer will play 99 games but will be 3 time premiership ruckman for us in that time

 

[SaintsSeptember]

BrianSpeaking im interested in why you think longer wont make 100 games? Please explain?

Same reason Stanley wont make 50 I suppose, except Stanley did, and may well end up with 150 or so career games.
FWIW Longer did very well in the hitouts.
More than Maric, Trent West, Cam Wood, Giles, McEvoy and plenty of others.
He needs to get more of the ball, but he's still better than the likes of Dawson Simpson or Daniel Currie.
He averages around 7 disposals, but at 21 I see plenty of upside compared to some of the names I've listed above.

 

[Mindtraveller]

Same reason Stanley wont make 50 I suppose, except Stanley did, and may well end up with 150 or so career games.
FWIW Longer did very well in the hitouts.
More than Maric, Trent West, Cam Wood, Giles, McEvoy and plenty of others.
He needs to get more of the ball, but he's still better than the likes of Dawson Simpson or Daniel Currie.
He averages around 7 disposals, but at 21 I see plenty of upside compared to some of the names I've listed above.

Knows how to throw his weight around too.

 

[hayes]

Still got probably 3-4 years til we see his best. Could become a very good ruckmen.

 

[King_Steele]

Still got probably 3-4 years til we see his best. Could become a very good ruckmen.

I like Longer, to stagnate when the ball hits the deck though & needs to improve his marking big time but has the tools IMO

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Why hasn't this been posted in here yet



Never get sick of it.

 

[ST_JBC]

Still a long way to go for Billy... He has banned from training with main group for first 3 weeks of pre-season coz he came back fat as a house...

 

[King_Steele]

Still a long way to go for Billy... He has banned from training with main group for first 3 weeks of pre-season coz he came back fat as a house...

Unacceptable really, hope Hickey dominates training to show him how its done..