Delisted #36: Lachlan Johnson - Not offered another contract - 13/8

36 - Lachlan Johnson.jpg


Contract Status: Out of contract 2021
Last Game Played: n/a
Injury Status: n/a
 
Last edited:

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,758
7,608
AFL Club
Essendon
That lineage tho 👌

Still think we should have played Jake Long 40 times. If he had been given the run that Jerret had he woulda made it.
 

ghostdog

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 18, 2008
16,020
11,856
gondawanaland
AFL Club
Essendon
That lineage tho 👌

Still think we should have played Jake Long 40 times. If he had been given the run that Jerret had he woulda made it.
Lineage alone doth not a player make.
Still, lineage enough may apply itself to a bullish sense.
Unless to speak bull-ish imparts itself as a factor of one's lineage, then it matters not.
Still, it is enough.
 

BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,989
AFL Club
Essendon
That lineage tho 👌

Still think we should have played Jake Long 40 times. If he had been given the run that Jerret had he woulda made it.


Best comparison for Long is Guelfi.

Very similar players. Where Guelfi has a bit more guile he didn't have Long's athleticism. Both prone to mistakes and brain fades. It defies logic that one player is regarded as a bright enough prospect / reliable enough to be given 3 years of game time and the other was given 5 games in 3 years.

Someone will come and says Long sucked, it will probably be eth-dog, but that doesn't address the logical fallacy in the reasoning.
 
Best comparison for Long is Guelfi.

Very similar players. Where Guelfi has a bit more guile he didn't have Long's athleticism. Both prone to mistakes and brain fades. It defies logic that one player is regarded as a bright enough prospect / reliable enough to be given 3 years of game time and the other was given 5 games in 3 years.

Someone will come and says Long sucked, it will probably be eth-dog, but that doesn't address the logical fallacy in the reasoning.
Why would it be me? I was one of his biggest defenders on here.
 

DapperJong

Cancelled
30k Posts 10k Posts SFA Good Friday Appeal Spooderman Meme Medal Pantskyle BeanCoiNFT Investor
Feb 11, 2015
42,844
82,918
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Juventus
Best comparison for Long is Guelfi.

Very similar players. Where Guelfi has a bit more guile he didn't have Long's athleticism. Both prone to mistakes and brain fades. It defies logic that one player is regarded as a bright enough prospect / reliable enough to be given 3 years of game time and the other was given 5 games in 3 years.

Someone will come and says Long sucked, it will probably be eth-dog, but that doesn't address the logical fallacy in the reasoning.
Just one person will say Long sucked.
 

fairbump_playon

Premiership Player
Jun 27, 2014
4,758
7,608
AFL Club
Essendon
Best comparison for Long is Guelfi.

Very similar players. Where Guelfi has a bit more guile he didn't have Long's athleticism. Both prone to mistakes and brain fades. It defies logic that one player is regarded as a bright enough prospect / reliable enough to be given 3 years of game time and the other was given 5 games in 3 years.

Someone will come and says Long sucked, it will probably be eth-dog, but that doesn't address the logical fallacy in the reasoning.
Guelfi is a fair call though Long at his best had more class but less intensity. More likely to run, receive and deliver nearly than to athletically punch a ball out of bounds LOL.

Long might have sucked but would he have kept sucking is the question.

I reckon he had enough to work with but anyhow... moot point.

As for Johnson, his dad was short, big assed and hard to knock off balance. Lachlan looks more like Chris than Jake looks like Michael. The shape is one thing but supreme footy sense is what both dads had. Keen to see LJ play.
 
Guelfi much harder at it and a decent mark. Different players

Would be saying the same thing. Long was a line breaker who did not break the lines and spent a lot of his time going in circles.
 

ghostdog

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 18, 2008
16,020
11,856
gondawanaland
AFL Club
Essendon
Spoke to his old man a few months ago, said his rehab went really well. He views himself as a forward. But Dodoro hasn't pigeon-holed him and said he could see him forward, middle or back.
170 something cm I think will see him in a pocket somewhere rather than middle, unless he's competing with Ned Cahill for CBAs. 🙁
 
Spoke to his old man a few months ago, said his rehab went really well. He views himself as a forward. But Dodoro hasn't pigeon-holed him and said he could see him forward, middle or back.
I'd have thought from now on that's not Adrian's call.
 
I'd have thought from now on that's not Adrian's call.
A few months ago he was a first year draftee at the start of his ACL rehab so I doubt the coaches would’ve assigned him a group to train with at that point.
 
A few months ago he was a first year draftee at the start of his ACL rehab so I doubt the coaches would’ve assigned him a group to train with at that point.
Close to 12 months ago now. I'd assume the coaching staff will have spoken to him, aided his rehab and started mapping his future development since then.
 

BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,989
AFL Club
Essendon
Guelfi much harder at it and a decent mark. Different players


Perception v reality.

Long had a real problem with suspension at the end of year 3 (I think it was, might even have been year 4). While he sorted that out he never lost his aggression when tackling.

He was also strong above head, surprisingly strong, and pretty fearless.

The differences between the two came down to "craft" which Guelfi had and athleticism which Long had. That Long could have been an outside runner, which he was not very good at, doesn't detract from the other aspects of his game. If football clubs weren't in the business of wasting talent. Long would probably have ended up a small defender.
 
Perception v reality.

Long had a real problem with suspension at the end of year 3 (I think it was, might even have been year 4). While he sorted that out he never lost his aggression when tackling.

He was also strong above head, surprisingly strong, and pretty fearless.

The differences between the two came down to "craft" which Guelfi had and athleticism which Long had. That Long could have been an outside runner, which he was not very good at, doesn't detract from the other aspects of his game. If football clubs weren't in the business of wasting talent. Long would probably have ended up a small defender.
Got to be careful because you’re comparing Guelfi’s AFL form with Long’s VFL as whilst he showed one or two turns in his few games there wasn’t much else. There were a few times in VFL as well where not sure he was as fearless as what Guelfi would have been, but fair enough considering his size.

I thought club was more than patient with him in the 5 years or so he was on our list and I think it’s telling that he’s not on another list, not even as a rookie.
 
Perception v reality.

Long had a real problem with suspension at the end of year 3 (I think it was, might even have been year 4). While he sorted that out he never lost his aggression when tackling.

He was also strong above head, surprisingly strong, and pretty fearless.

The differences between the two came down to "craft" which Guelfi had and athleticism which Long had. That Long could have been an outside runner, which he was not very good at, doesn't detract from the other aspects of his game. If football clubs weren't in the business of wasting talent. Long would probably have ended up a small defender.
I never saw it in Jake either but you could definitely argue that he has showed more than Lachlan Johnson.
 

BrunoV

Brownlow Medallist
May 5, 2009
21,620
28,989
AFL Club
Essendon
Got to be careful because you’re comparing Guelfi’s AFL form with Long’s VFL as whilst he showed one or two turns in his few games there wasn’t much else. There were a few times in VFL as well where not sure he was as fearless as what Guelfi would have been, but fair enough considering his size.

I thought club was more than patient with him in the 5 years or so he was on our list and I think it’s telling that he’s not on another list, not even as a rookie.


What interests me is trying to work out what Long's form would have been like had he been given the opportunities.

The reason I cited Long's suspension (I reckon it was 3 to 5 in 2 years) is because it's an objective reflection of the sort of player he was or was trying to become. Players who are not hard at it do not get cited and suspended as much as Long did for dangerous tackles and shirt fronts (we are not talking about silly little jumper punches). I can't speak to a few occasions he might not have gone hard enough but I wouldn't place too much weight on it because it was not a consistent characteristic of his performances.

Long was okay in the 2 games he played in 18 or 19. He was okay in the 3 games he played in 16. Guefli has been a combination of okay and horrible in the 30 odd games he has played. The mystery to me will always be why one and not the other?
 

MiguelM

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 22, 2014
5,370
6,630
AFL Club
Essendon
Ah, just realised you are talking about Jake Long, not Michael, phew!!!
 
Players who are not hard at it do not get cited and suspended as much as Long did
Now I love Dustin Fletcher but I wouldn’t call him ‘hard at it’ (but never ever shirked and backed into packs) but a shedload of suspensions regardless they were for tripping. Sometimes you get penalised for clumsiness. I just wouldn’t think hard was any part of Long’s game

Not going to try and change your mind about Long or Guelfi but like I said Long had 4-5 years at the club so I think was given time...and again not one other club interested in him not for a rookie listing.
 
Back