Jesse Lonergan.

Mar 18, 2011
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Height: 182cm.
Weight: 91kg.
Profile: Powerful, explosive midfielder who canplay both inside and outside the packs.

U18 Stats.
Game 1: Injured: DNP.

Game 2: Injured: DNP.

Game 3 V QLD:
19D (9 CP), 2 CL, 3 I50s, 4 tackles.

Game 4 V NSW:
15D (13 CP), 3 CL, 4 tackles & 2.0.

Game 5 V NT:
15D (13 CP), 5 CL, 8 tackles & 2.1.

Interesting to note, the only player to rack up more tackle numbers than him was Jack Martin. Despite the fact that Lonergan missed the first two games.
 
Mar 18, 2011
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Mock Draft write-ups.

Knightmare.
Recruited from: Launceston
Style: Chris Judd (defensive version)
Player comparison:
Range: 11-25
Profile: Lonergan is a very strong, immediate inside ball winning machine. Really powerful contested ball winner and clearance player. Has some real breakaway pace and can separate himself from the pack with his power. Tackling game very strong. Above average inside distributor by hand. Lonergan has missed much of the first half of this year with injury but that doesn’t change the fact that he looms as a potentially excellent inside midfield option. Haven’t seen many signs with Lonergan of an outside game and for him this is the next stage. Kicking has improved significantly this year after being mostly inconsistent in previous years. Lonergan looks like a really solid prospect and one of the more ready to go prospects with his AFL ready body. Don’t sleep on him. Few have the same combination of inside ability, strength and explosive pace.

Chris25.
Lonergan is one of the better Tasmanians to come through the draft in some time. He would have been the first picked Taswegian last year even as an underaged player. And although injuries have interrupted his season so far, he got back for the end of the U18 Chamionships and performed well. At this stage, Jesse is very much an inside player who thrives on the contested ball and does well in the clearances. But I get the feeling that if he were given an opportunity, he could easily play on the outside too as he has the speed, endurance and just general athleticism required. But he is just too good as an inside midfielder, so he hasn't really had the chance to show what he can do. In terms of draft position, he could go anywhere from 15-30 and outside of the top 10, Lonergan would be the next best 'genuine midfielder'. So don't be surprised if he is somewhat of a 'bolter'. AFL Comparison: James Kelly.

Quigley.
Every year I put my best Div 2 prospect in the top 10. This year there is really only one real candidate and that Lonergan and when it is all said and done he really deserves to be considered alongside others who are being considered as possible top 10 picks. Put it this way I would take him ahead of Vlastuin who some are talking up at pick 9. Lonergan has a lot going for him and there is still plenty of development potential with him. It is definitely on the cards that he could have been one of the best inside players to come out of this draft.

Lonergan has been playing senior football since he was 15 and has played in the TSL grand finals the last two years. He was also the Tasmanian Rising Star Winner last year as a 16 year old. He played at the Champs last year as a bottom ager and was impressive against the Div 1 teams and had 19 disposals including 6 clearances against WA and ended up being given and AIS place. This year the first half of his year was decimated by a torn lateral meniscus in his knee which required surgery. He eventually returned for Tasmania’s three Div 2 games at the Champs. Not unsurprisingly he was not at full fitness and only averaged 16 possessions a game. His fitness picked up as the season progressed though and by the end of the year he was back to close to his best.

Lonergan has made a name for himself as an inside midfielder and if you want him play you can see why. Personally I would have him behind only Viney as an inside talent this year although Wines would be in the picture. He is a very solid guy already now particularly through the legs and as he develops further he is going to be a very powerful athlete. He has nice variety of moves to win balls in clearance situations. At clearances he hunts the ball and is very aggressive. He will get in there and harass and hustle in tight relying on his powerful frame but equally he can also run off players and pop free where he thinks the ball will go. He finds dangerous space in ruck situations as well as anyone in this draft. He reads the ball of hands very well and also seems to judge how deep the taps will go. It’s not something I tend to notice much but Lonergan seems to have a knack of being the right distance from the ruck when the ball is tapped his way.

He works well in the phone box, makes good quick decisions and then executes. His hands are fast and he is very strong over the ball with a low centre of gravity. Inside he is a fair bit like his uncle Sam but he has an added weapon of being much more agile and much much more explosive off the mark. He shoots gaps very well and has the strength to break arm tackles and the pace to be gone before the opposition can react.

At the moment he does not have a particularly well developed outside game but I think will more focus on that it will come. He has been such a dominant inside ball winner that I tend to think that has been enough and his injury this year has cruelled the opportunity to develop it. He is a smart player with very good pace, reasonable endurance and tidy skills. Build his tank up a bit more and emphasis the spread more and I think you will find a very nice outside game under that hard inside exterior. If you get a chance to watch his highlights have a look at the TSL stuff toward the end and in particular the great work he does on the wing exchanging handballs and then bolting to follow the ball into forward 50 and receive back for the finish and goal. I think that kind of play is going to occur more often as he develops, improves his endurance base and is required to work outside more by his coaches.

Skills wise he is very good by hand and improved by foot. He is an excellent distributor by hand and is a very good exponent of the long handball being able to rip them out with seemingly very little back lift of his right fist. He has worked hard on his kicking the last couple of years and it is paying off. He is solid by foot now and with his rate of improvement you would think he could end up significantly better than that. He is a right footer who is capable of executing on his left although it is evident that it is not his natural foot.

In addition to his midfield work Longergan is also a pretty dangerous forward. Interestingly he tends not to use his pace a great deal up forward instead he uses his strength and body control most often to get him marks and goal scoring attempt. He is a good finisher whether on the run or from his set shot which whilst lacking a bit in fluidity it is pretty effective. He is a good mark above his head, getting nice height and being difficult to move in the air. On the ground as you might imagine, he is clean and shows a good ability to get it out to a teammate for a shot. I don't think he has the goal sense of a true small forward but like Bartel or Martin he can be dangerous and hard to contend with when he rests up forward.

For a not particularly tall, brick outhouse he was a star at the Combine and I am sure a few of the coaches who might not have watched him as much as their recruiters were asking to have a second look at him. He won goal kicking test, was 2nd in the vertical leap, 2nd in the agility test and 7th in the repeat sprint. He was not particularly quick over the first five metres but once he was up to speed he had elite quickness. So not only is this kid a smart, very physical clearance winning machine he is also a superior athlete. His endurance testing was middle of the pack which was basically what I expected. There is a lot of talent to work with with this kid and if the usual Tasmanian discount applies some team is going to get a bargain.
 
Mar 18, 2011
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No fear for Lonergan.
THERE is only one thing lacking in the package Jesse Lonergan brings to the Gold Coast Suns - fear.

With so many talented, skilful and dedicated young footballers to choose from, the Suns' first selection in the AFL national draft - No.13 - landed on a man-sized 18-year-old whose competitive instincts have been honed from three seasons of senior football with Launceston.

All the scouting reports on the 182cm inside midfielder detail a player whose ferocious attack on the footy was learned the hard way, playing against men who would think nothing of flattening a kid who first tasted senior action as a 15-year-old.
 
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Jesse's whirl.
JESSE Lonergan remembers feeling a pinch on the outside of his knee. In a tackle at AIS-AFL Academy training in January, a teammate got wrapped around his leg. Usually, the 17-year-old Tasmanian busts through tackles. This one stuck, at least enough.
 
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Jesse's giant leap.
TASMANIAN teenager Jesse Lonergan is on a one-way ticket to the AFL.

That's the assessment of the league's national talent manager Kevin Sheehan, who says Lonergan is certain to be selected in the AFL national draft on November 22.

Lonergan, 17, has been outstanding in testing at the three-day Draft Combine in Melbourne this week.
The Tassie Mariners captain has been so impressive that Sheehan has already called it Lonergan will go to the AFL.

"He's a certainty he's a certain draftee, and very early on," Sheehan said. "I rate him very highly."
 

Tazwegian

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He's going to be one of the physically stronger mids in the league. Can't get over the fact that he is 182cm and 90kgs, and still has incredible explosive athleticism. Has to be one of the more impressive power athletes to go through the draft in some time.
 
Mar 18, 2011
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He also had a fantastic combine.

Combine Highlights:

Equal 1st in goal kicking test (30/30).
2nd in Agility Test.
2nd in Vertical Jump (83cm)
3rd in Running Vertical Jump (91cm)
7th in Repeat Sprints.

Not bad for a guy with an interrupted season.

Fitness will need a bit of work, but that's what the AFL pre-season will do. :)
 

Tazwegian

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He also had a fantastic combine.

Combine Highlights:

Equal 1st in goal kicking test (30/30).
2nd in Agility Test.
2nd in Vertical Jump (83cm)
3rd in Running Vertical Jump (91cm)
7th in Repeat Sprints.

Not bad for a guy with an interrupted season.

Fitness will need a bit of work, but that's what the AFL pre-season will do. :)

Yeah, I do a lot of long distance running and I can say that endurance is more responsive and easier to build than muscle. He's not coming from too far back either, unlike Schade from last year who needed a lot of work. A few months of pre-season and adjusting to the climate and he'll be fine, I reckon.
 

Tazwegian

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What are peoples expectations of him for 2013?

If he can play all the NAB cup, and 8-10 games in the seniors I think will be great. Could be a handy sub with his size?
I imagine as a half forward or winger to begin with?

Could potentially start in round 1. But it's a long way away, will have to impress in training and the NAB first. 10+ games would be excellent. Could do a lot of damage as a sub with his explosiveness. Could get games as a forward, not sure about him playing on the wing so much. His main strength is contested footy, so you want to exploit that by playing him as a defensive medium marking or crumbing forward, or an inside mid imo.
 
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Can't see him as a winger or on the flank. Hasn't got much of an outside game, which is I guess his biggest flaw. Lack of outside game and endurance to go with it.

I imagine with his big body, it's entirely likely he'll start on the inside from day one, similar to Prestia.
 

gotassieboys

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Could potentially start in round 1. But it's a long way away, will have to impress in training and the NAB first. 10+ games would be excellent. Could do a lot of damage as a sub with his explosiveness. Could get games as a forward, not sure about him playing on the wing so much. His main strength is contested footy, so you want to exploit that by playing him as a defensive medium marking or crumbing forward, or an inside mid imo.

I think Lonergan will be certainly seen as a player vying for a spot in the best 22 throughout the 2013 season.

He obviously has the body shape and hardness at the ball. The overall fitness needed to play his role will come with "pre-seasons" and game time.

I see him as a very reliable, hard working player who will be very highly regarded within the football club for the type of work that goes unnoticed by the "experts"!!
 
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Sturdy Sun.
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NEW SUN Jesse Lonergan turned 18 just nine days ago but already has an imposing physique - a robust 90kg frame.

Drafted at No.13 in Thursday night's NAB AFL Draft, the 182cm Lonergan has a man's body and is already broader and stronger than at least half of his new teammates.
 
Aug 17, 2010
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As a comparison, Michael Voss, who was one of the more powerful mids in his playing days, measured 183cm/88kg, and Vossy was very slight when he first started playing, building himself up over a number of seasons. Looking forward to seeing how Jesse goes about it.
 
Mar 18, 2011
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We list the 20 draftees set to make the biggest impact next season.

THE kid gloves are off for these golden 20.

Forget project players, here are the talents from this year's draft who will have the biggest impact next season.

---

6. JESSE LONERGAN
Club: Gold Coast
Age: 18
Height: 183cm Weight: 91kg
Drafted: No.13

Suns are crying out for some inside midfield help and Lonergan is ready to bash bodies. Coming off a knee injury but his strong frame and combative nature will fill the void left by Josh Caddy.

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Mar 18, 2011
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Broken hand sees Lonergan on hold.
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EXCITING Gold Coast youngster Jesse Lonergan will miss the start of the season after fracturing his hand in Saturday's 25-point win over Melbourne at Southport.

Lonergan fell awkwardly on his left hand late in the third quarter and scans revealed a fracture that will sideline him for four to six weeks.
 
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