IMO he needs both. Longer is an interesting case. I recently read an article about him from 2013 and it quoted the following:
-Longer was also an exceptional basketballer and even took up the martial art of Muay Thai to complement his elite ball skills.
-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.
-At one stage he was being talked about as a possible top five selection, so when he drifted to eight, the Lions were happy to snare the big man.
If he had elite ball skills, why don't we see more of them on display? He only averages 8 possessions a game.
If he had strong leadership skills why have these skills not developed enough for him to be part of the leadership group?
If he was talked about as a top five pick why has he not lived up to that potential?
Lethlean, in a recent interview, when asked about Longer's re-signing commented that he needs to work hard, be professional...... The "be professional" comment made my ears prick up. I interpreted that comment as Lethlean saying that Billy was not doing everything possible to get the best out of himself.
Hopefully a strong preseason and the new assistant coaches will help Billy realise his potential because we certainly need him to stand up next year if we want to be relevant again.
http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-10-25/the-billy-longer-story
Fair comments.
There are plenty who have good skills but just can't get their hands on it enough, Brodie Murdoch comes to mind.
I think the leadership group they tend to want players who will be best 22 each week, and that hasn't been the case for Longer.
He was an early pick. But so was Jack Watts. That's how we got Longer for peanuts, he was already a Holden Astra ex- demonstration model.
Why do any of them not live up to their potential?