Traded Ben Long

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Small forward Ben Long is one of the Saints' most exciting players and his selection in the team early this season might have been based more on faith than form, after just four games in a disappointing first year. He was dropped for the second JLT Community Series game but was named for round one and has gradually improved since then. The 20-year-old was great in the draw with Greater Western Sydney last Saturday on several fronts. He hit bodies hard, his composure and class were evident on several occasions, and that goal when Long looked like taking a set shot before playing on around Phil Davis on the mark and snapping it home to bring his side within six points late in the game was exceptional. Points for the ingenuity to think of doing it, for his bravery in making the attempt and for stellar execution. -


Go Saints
 
Ben Long’s standout performance against the Giants has been rewarded with a NAB Rising Star nomination.

Long’s 15 disposals, eight tackles and one unforgettable goal saw the 21-year-old get the nod after a drawn-out Round 5.


After four games in his debut season in 2017, Long has played every game this year, improving in each outing before playing a crucial role in the Saints’ draw with the then top-of-the-table Giants.

Long’s bone-jarring tackling and class with the ball in hand shone against the Giants but it was a moment late in the final term that highlighted his true potential.

With the Saints still two goals adrift, Long baulked Phil Davis on the boundary line before bending through a snap from 40m to give his side a sniff.

Long is the Saints’ first NAB Rising Star nominee since Jade Gresham’s Round 14 nomination in 2016.


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Young St Kilda forward Ben Long has suffered a fractured metatarsal in his right foot.

The 20-year-old reported soreness in his foot following Sunday’s Round 7 clash with Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.


Subsequent scans this morning revealed a fracture in his third metatarsal, which will keep the recent NAB Rising Star Nominee out for approximately 8-10 weeks.

General Manager of Football Simon Lethlean said it was disappointing for Long after a standout start to the season.

“Ben has been one of our most in-form players over the first seven rounds and has really cemented his place in our best 22,” Lethlean said.

“He’ll do everything right to be back on the field as quickly as possible and we should see him pushing for selection not long after the mid-season bye.”


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Ben Long is back.

The nephew of Essendon great Michael Long will play his first game of football in almost three months when he lines up for Sandringham in the VFL this weekend.

It was back in Round 7 – the Saints were playing the Demons at Etihad Stadium – when the 20-year-old somewhat innocuously suffered a fractured metatarsal in his right foot.

READ: Long's star rising


“I didn’t really know what had happened, it just got really sore, but I kept moving and that sort of got me through the game,” Long explained.

“After the game, it was obviously sorer when I stopped running, so I got the X-rays on the Monday and came up with a stress fracture.”

It was Long’s first injury since his junior playing days in the Northern Territory, and fresh off the back of a Round 5 NAB Rising Star nomination, the emerging Saint faced a long and lonesome stint on the sidelines.

“It’s true what people say, it can become a pretty lonely place,” he said.

“But the boys and the coaches are still pretty supportive, you still interact with them even though you’re obviously doing your own training to get back playing again … but it’s good still having that connection.”
The collective frustration felt when he suffered the injury was felt most strongly by Long himself, who’d been building into form and stringing together consecutive impressive games at senior level.

“I sort of felt like I was playing consistent footy for the team and playing pretty good footy down forward,” Long said.

“But you know, it’s one of those things, people get injured. You’ve just gotta get up and keep going.

“It was definitely hard, but to get back to training and kick the footy around has been one of the best feelings coming out of rehab, just getting back with the boys and getting amongst it. I’m just really happy to get the opportunity to play footy again.”

Long will run out with the Zebras when they host the Box Hill Hawks this Saturday at 2:10pm at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.




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Hamill says -
Ben Long Four kicks, three handballs, two tackles

It was good for Longy to play again, albeit on restricted minutes. He was out for three months, which is significant … 12 games, he’s missed. We know how important he’s going to be for this footy club moving forward, and he’s made of the right stuff. He’s got a heap of speed, loves the contest and is very skilful. We’ve certainly missed him at AFL level, with his dynamic play and his elite pressure.


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ST KILDA'S third-and-fourth-year players have headed to the Northern Territory in a bid to kick-start their pre-season campaign.

A contingent including Jade Gresham, Ben Long, Josh Battle, Rowan Marshall, Bailey Rice, Darragh Joyce and Brandon White joined coach Alan Richardson and other staff members in leaving on Monday morning for a five-day stay.

It's a similar camp to what the Saints had last year, with Long playing host as he took the leadership group through the Northern Territory and his home in the Tiwi Islands.


The club's first-to-fourth-year players returned to RSEA Park last Wednesday, with the rest of the group due back next Monday.

After a dismal campaign that saw the club finish 16th with four wins and a draw, Long told AFL.com.au his peers needed to be at the forefront of any turnaround.

"Us third and fourth years, we are the future of the club, so we've got to drive those standards," Long said.



Being asked by the Saints for a tour of where he grew up showed Long how much respect the club had for him, despite his inexperience.

"It sort of hit me, in terms of the club coming to me and saying 'Can you take us up to Darwin and show us where you've come from?'," Long said.

"My family background, coming from the Tiwi Islands, was a great experience, and it meant a lot to me for the club to be doing that."

Those connections are part of the reason he's enjoying his time at St Kilda. Long is contracted until the end of 2019 and list manager James Gallagher recently told the Road to the Draft podcast he's had "preliminary discussions" with Long's manager about extending that deal.

The 21-year-old hasn't given it too much thought yet.

"They gave me an extra contract in my first year. I'm loving it at the Saints at the moment and I'm not thinking much about that stuff," Long said.

There was interest from Melbourne and Essendon in Long during the NAB AFL Trade Period, which St Kilda and Long were quick to shut down.

For the man himself, it was weird having that play out in the media.

"It was pretty (surprising) … I wasn't out of contract with the Saints. I think it was the Demons and the Bombers that were showing interest," Long said.

"They were sort of saying that I was up for a trade and that, but I really wasn't. I think it was just talk, I'm not too sure."

It's not hard to see why St Kilda wants to lock Long down. He showed star potential in his 10 games this season, adding toughness, speed and class up forward, in a campaign interrupted by a fractured metatarsal in his right foot.

His brilliance was encapsulated by a moment late in the round five draw with Greater Western Sydney, when he marked about 45m out close to the boundary and faked a drop punt before running around Phil Davis on the mark to snap an outrageous goal.

It was an instinctive decision.

"Once I marked it, I thought I was a fair way out. Straight away, I just thought 'I'm going to run around this bloke'," Long said.

Getting fitter is a focus so he can spend more time in the midfield, although Long will largely be in attack next year.

He's determined to improve and one day emulate what his cousin Willie Rioli did with West Coast in winning the premiership.

Long admitted to being "jealous", but it was a significant moment for his community.

"He made the Tiwi Islands proud," Long said.


Go Saints
 
Brains Trust66 said:
ST KILDA'S third-and-fourth-year players have headed to the Northern Territory in a bid to kick-start their pre-season campaign.

A contingent including Jade Gresham, Ben Long, Josh Battle, Rowan Marshall, Bailey Rice, Darragh Joyce and Brandon White joined coach Alan Richardson and other staff members in leaving on Monday morning for a five-day stay.

It's a similar camp to what the Saints had last year, with Long playing host as he took the leadership group through the Northern Territory and his home in the Tiwi Islands.


The club's first-to-fourth-year players returned to RSEA Park last Wednesday, with the rest of the group due back next Monday.

After a dismal campaign that saw the club finish 16th with four wins and a draw, Long told AFL.com.au his peers needed to be at the forefront of any turnaround.

"Us third and fourth years, we are the future of the club, so we've got to drive those standards," Long said.



Being asked by the Saints for a tour of where he grew up showed Long how much respect the club had for him, despite his inexperience.

"It sort of hit me, in terms of the club coming to me and saying 'Can you take us up to Darwin and show us where you've come from?'," Long said.

"My family background, coming from the Tiwi Islands, was a great experience, and it meant a lot to me for the club to be doing that."

Those connections are part of the reason he's enjoying his time at St Kilda. Long is contracted until the end of 2019 and list manager James Gallagher recently told the Road to the Draft podcast he's had "preliminary discussions" with Long's manager about extending that deal.

The 21-year-old hasn't given it too much thought yet.

"They gave me an extra contract in my first year. I'm loving it at the Saints at the moment and I'm not thinking much about that stuff," Long said.

There was interest from Melbourne and Essendon in Long during the NAB AFL Trade Period, which St Kilda and Long were quick to shut down.

For the man himself, it was weird having that play out in the media.

"It was pretty (surprising) … I wasn't out of contract with the Saints. I think it was the Demons and the Bombers that were showing interest," Long said.

"They were sort of saying that I was up for a trade and that, but I really wasn't. I think it was just talk, I'm not too sure."

It's not hard to see why St Kilda wants to lock Long down. He showed star potential in his 10 games this season, adding toughness, speed and class up forward, in a campaign interrupted by a fractured metatarsal in his right foot.

His brilliance was encapsulated by a moment late in the round five draw with Greater Western Sydney, when he marked about 45m out close to the boundary and faked a drop punt before running around Phil Davis on the mark to snap an outrageous goal.

It was an instinctive decision.

"Once I marked it, I thought I was a fair way out. Straight away, I just thought 'I'm going to run around this bloke'," Long said.

Getting fitter is a focus so he can spend more time in the midfield, although Long will largely be in attack next year.

He's determined to improve and one day emulate what his cousin Willie Rioli did with West Coast in winning the premiership.

Long admitted to being "jealous", but it was a significant moment for his community.

"He made the Tiwi Islands proud," Long said.


Go Saints
Click to expand...
Love this from the club.
Great move to keep Long engaged, show genuine interest in his background, culture and start promoting the Saints up there at the same time.
 
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