Pick #25 - Ben Long

[skeptic]

Reactions? What do we know?

[skeptic]

A medium-sized defender who has the versatility to play on tall or small forwards, Long also has the speed to roll through the midfield. Averaged 20 possessions and four inside 50s in two games at the division two NAB AFL Under-18 Championships for the NT before earning selection for the Allies. Long - a nephew of Essendon great Michael - boarded at Melbourne Grammar and played for Footscray in the VFL.

[MC Gusto]

Wow

[tommykit]

Not sure about this, don't know if a medium defender was the top of our priority list...

[skeptic]

Watching his video -

He's fast, relies on his zip to get to the ball first... seems to have a lot of time when he gets it, decision making solid and he seems to have a knack for the deft touches/tap
Seems to run to the right places in ball ups and packs

Disposal looks really good too.
Likes a goal and backs himself.

Really good prospect

[skeptic]

Not sure about this, don't know if a medium defender was the top of our priority list...

He strikes me more as the quarter back type
Has class and pace

[SainterX1]

Played some very good games in the VFL

[Bluthy]

Not sure about this, don't know if a medium defender was the top of our priority list...

But....http://www.ntnews.com.au/sport/local-af ... 7ef780a4af

AFL draft hopeful Ben Long got a big boost ahead of next week’s draft combine with a stellar performance for Footscray in yesterday’s VFL grand final.

Long booted two goals as a permanent forward pocket and gave away the same number as the Dogs turned a half-time deficit into a runaway 31-point win.

maybe we want him to be a small forward

[Con Gorozidis]

Well we can't say 'we were surprised he was still there' at 23.
Could have got him at 36.
But anyway. I'll back the recruiters. The kid is ready to go round 1.

[tommykit]

[quote="skeptic"][quote="tommykit"]Not sure about this, don't know if a medium defender was the top of our priority list...[/quote]

He strikes me more as the quarter back type
Has class and pace[/quote]


Don't we already have Savage, Webster, White, Dmac, Robbo and probably several others who can play that quarter back role. I know most of them are rebounding defenders but still.

Ah well I'm sure they know what they are doing.

[magnifisaint]

Well we can't say 'we were surprised he was still there' at 23.
Could have got him at 36.
But anyway. I'll back the recruiters. The kid is ready to go round 1.

how do u know?

[skeptic]

Hmm... a lot of the phantom drafts suggest he was a mid 50s range player

[skeptic]

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2016-01-18/ ... t-ben-long

[Wrote for Luck]

From the highlights this guy could play anywhere. Looks natural and goes through courageously. They said on the radio the Bulldogs were set to select him with their next pick which was three after ours. Their snouts may be out of joint.

God, how many Josh's are there!

[bigcarl]

Hmm... a lot of the phantom drafts suggest he was a mid 50s range player

Yeah, but what would they know? Probably rated him lower because he's already playing VFL rather than TAC. Our recruiters know their stuff. Happy with whoever they get.

[Bluthy]

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2016-01-18/ ... t-ben-long

I like those highlights - he's got some real get up and go in him. Playing forward a lot there where he has great energy and creativity. Seems a real personality which can be a good thing if managed.

[Wrote for Luck]

From Quigley's yearly...

37. Ben Long

Ben is the nephew of Essendon legend Michael and he does have a bit of the Long body shape. He has the same kind of long legged athletic build that Michael had. Ben is a 19 year old and still very light but I expect him to put on enough bulk to compete at AFL level. Despite his current lack of bulk and long legged build he is surprisingly strong and he is certainly capable of fighting above his weight division.

Long played seniors in the NT at the end of last season before coming down to board at Melbourne Grammar for the year. He played for the NT and Allies at the Champs before finishing the season playing seniors for Footscray in the VFL. He has also played significant minutes in the backline, midfield and forward line at different times of the year. So he has had to adjust a lot over the year to different team structures, teammates and positions. By all reports he has been very professional about it and he has performed very nicely at all levels. With that said I am sure he is looking forward to settling into a stable environment where he has only one position to learn and one set of teammates to get to know.

When I saw him at the Champs I thought he showed real potential as a lock down small defender who could give some nice offensive run. Footscray though had other ideas in their use of him in the VFL and now I have to consider that he might be better at the other end of the ground. In the VFL preliminary final against Collingwood, Long kicked 6 goals and showed some nice dynamism as a forward. Personally I still like him as a defender but having the flexibility to play up forward certainly helps his chances of being drafted.

Up forward Long tends to get most of his goals from crumbing the fall of the ball or as a result of his running ability. He is not a real leading target although he is a reasonable mark of the ball when he has to fly. He is clean below the knees and has pretty good finishing ability around goal from any angle. In space he is seems to be elusive although you do wonder a little why he is not tackled more than he is. He does not have a particular big or violent change of direction but he does sell it well and opponents regularly do not lay a glove on him. Wherever he is on the ground he will attack the ball on the ground and has the ability to collect at pace, balance and then use it well. This skill is particularly handy up forward where he can finish those type of plays with a goal. Another thing he offers up forward is very good defensive pressure. He has a very good burst of pace that he uses to run down unaware opponents and when he is in the area perceived pressure will be higher for opposition defenders.

In the Div 1 Champs he was a little quiet for the Allies playing mostly as a lock down defender. As a consequence he went unnoticed by most until the last game against Vic Country. In that game he was matched up on Ainsworth and basically shut him out of the game which was a significant factor in the Allies winning that game. Long was quick and smart enough to cover Ainsworth on his leads and strong enough to hold his own in body on body contests. He outmarked Ainsworth a few times and generally showed himself to be a very disciplined defender who has the tools to match up on the best. One of the other plays involving Long I noted at the Champs was against Vic Metro when Bunker tried a big don't argue on Long. Long just went straight through it and made a very good tackle. I think people seriously underestimate how strong he is. Long has good running ability but this wa not really showcased in the Div 1 Champs. It was on show however in his games for NT when he averaged 20 disposals per game. For the NT he showed some really nice dash coming from defence and on the wing and his skills were very decent at speed.

As is common from those who come from outside elite programs, Long did not test particularly strongly at the Combine and the results probably undersold his athleticism. He ran a 3.01 in the 20m, 25.9 in the repeat sprint, 13.4 in the beep test, 10.52 in the 3km and 8.54 in the agility test. Those were all lower than expected but within the margin of what you would have expected. I was a bit disappointed in his jumping results which were below average but I was encouraged by his kicking test which was in the top 10.

Overall I like Long and think he could well end up a very nice player. As far as a player comparison I would probably go with Zac Williams.

[the dome]

Glad to have this guy on board.

[Con Gorozidis]

Well we can't say 'we were surprised he was still there' at 23.
Could have got him at 36.
But anyway. I'll back the recruiters. The kid is ready to go round 1.

how do u know?

Played in a VFL Grand final in his last game.
Fair indication he is ready for senior footy.
He wasnt playing Colts or U 18s.

I think it is a reasonable inference for me to make wouldnt you think? Yes? No?

[Linton Lodger]

Just looked at his highlights reel. He looks like a really clever player. I reckon he's going to fit in nicely.

[DJ Higgins]

Hmm... a lot of the phantom drafts suggest he was a mid 50s range player

I am a little confused by this pick. Some have him as a small defender, others a small forward. Plus he is 70kgs dripping wet

I would have preferred a outside mid with some wheels like Shai Bolton?

[barneyboyz]

Just looked at his highlights reel. He looks like a really clever player. I reckon he's going to fit in nicely.

He's got that 'something ' going alright, hope he sticks around

[samoht]

Richmond picked up the player I thought we would have been interested in - and they got him at pick 29 - Shai Bolton.

Ben Long ?!

[skeptic]

Hmm... a lot of the phantom drafts suggest he was a mid 50s range player

I am a little confused by this pick. Some have him as a small defender, others a small forward. Plus he is 70kgs dripping wet

I would have preferred a outside mid with some wheels like Shai Bolton?

I'm getting the sense that he's a medium sized player that tends to player smaller and relies more on his outside game traits as weapons with his major positive being that he is stronger than many that play the same way.

[prwilkinson]

Well we can't say 'we were surprised he was still there' at 23.
Could have got him at 36.
But anyway. I'll back the recruiters. The kid is ready to go round 1.

Dogs were taking him with their next pick.