Ben Long

[saint6709]

I know there is a thread re Long, Dunstan & DMac but I think this bloke deserves his own thread.

Before the 2020 season ( I think ) I posted that the 2 guys I wanted to see picked each week was Long & Battle - there’s been a fair bit of water under the bridge since then for both blokes - and I’m hoping that Friday is watershed moment for both of them - but this thread is about Long

Down on confidence and I would think probably a bit disillusioned by the way he’s been treated by the MRP compared to the Selwoods etc etc of the competition- the guy was not at his best on Friday - things didn’t go his way - BUT he was a serious presence down forward and I would like to see him there for the rest of the season

I just hope someone at the club spends some time with him this week and goes through all his footage - he was slightly off with his touch and luck but a a tiny tweak of touch and luck he could have had a 4 goal blinder as well as being a a serious menace to the opposition defense -

Keep him in, keep him forward, keep him hungry for the ball and let him play tough aggressive football

[bangaulegend]

I know there is a thread re Long, Dunstan & DMac but I think this bloke deserves his own thread.

Before the 2020 season ( I think ) I posted that the 2 guys I wanted to see picked each week was Long & Battle - there’s been a fair bit of water under the bridge since then for both blokes - and I’m hoping that Friday is watershed moment for both of them - but this thread is about Long

Down on confidence and I would think probably a bit disillusioned by the way he’s been treated by the MRP compared to the Selwoods etc etc of the competition- the guy was not at his best on Friday - things didn’t go his way - BUT he was a serious presence down forward and I would like to see him there for the rest of the season

I just hope someone at the club spends some time with him this week and goes through all his footage - he was slightly off with his touch and luck but a a tiny tweak of touch and luck he could have had a 4 goal blinder as well as being a a serious menace to the opposition defense -

Keep him in, keep him forward, keep him hungry for the ball and let him play tough aggressive football

I've been a Ben Long fan for years but he hasn't done himself any favours either . I love his aggression but needs to know when to pull his head in without going over the top. IMO prefer him forward offers way more than Lonie & way more versatile

[The Fireman]

Always liked him Without any ifs or buts

[The_Dud]

Has X factor, goes in as hard as anyone in the side, just needs to tidy up a few fumbles and he’ll be right

[skeptic]

I’ve been a fan for a while as well.

The question is where is his best possession?

He’s had some ripping games as a HBF but he has the menace to be a small forward and impact the game without kicking goals either.

For now I’d like to see him in a forward pocket

[B.M]

Tough, but lacks composure

I gave him a vote last game for his intensity forward of the ball.

[bangaulegend]

Always liked him Without any ifs or buts

fair call

[bangaulegend]

Tough, but lacks composure

I gave him a vote last game for his intensity forward of the ball.

I was tossing it around but just couldn't justify giving him a vote as much as I liked his performance but I'm glad others did

[Trev from the Bush]

My knock on Long has been his propensity for brain fades. His willingness to tackle without hitting the brakes has cost us too many costly free kicks in the past. On Friday night he fumbled a bit at times but his desperation and second efforts earned him forgiveness. A good game, more akin with what he is capable of.

[cwrcyn]

He rushes. He's off and running before he has control of the ball. Fails to settle and look for options. Composure is the key word, I agree

[Scollop]

Yes Ben is a hot head. Yes he gets frustrated...big deal...What's wrong with having passion!! Ultimately it's what is required in September. It's all crap to try and think we are going to get anywhere with vanilla. When you are middle of the road or bottom 6 you need a bit of aggression and some hard nuts like Longy to match the top teams. He needs better coaching. I think Ratts needs him in the team and his team mates need to support him so he can settle and have their trust.

Long played when we got beaten by Melbourne and then smashed by Essendon. He also played against Port and Geelong. These weren't close losses!! People get their jocks in a knot about individuals when it really makes no difference (to the result) in these games where basically the whole team played like crap!!

If a guy has played 100 games I'd be super critical, but to say a player 'lacks composure' is bs as far as I'm concerned when you have a relatively young player.

All fluffy generalisations in the above posts from those who usually scapegoat 1 or 2 players when we have bad losses (or people with an agenda...maybe trying to support their client rather than any objective opinions). That's exactly what happened with Dunny getting dropped after the North game in 2020 and also with DMac getting dropped this year...go back to 2018 and you had Mr Cho dropping Jack Steele when we had a really bad loss against North in the Good Friday Game. Scapegoats!!

If you go back to 2018 and 2019 you can see in games where Longy displays the qualities that Ratts liked and why he gave him the role from half back. He has speed and good evasive skills and he makes good decisions in traffic. He has natural flair and great timing and you need play makers to get through defense zones. He puts his body on the line. He is a team player as far as getting a knock on or a tap on to some one in an attacking position.

...meanwhile we keep a bloke in the team who puts his arms out to tackle and throws his head back and closes his eyes. We keep others in who don't get their body behind a footy that's on the ground and don't want to put both hands out and put their head over it....and we play others who can't stick a tackle and can't hang on to the footy in fear of copping a few bruises.

Not to mention giving others too many chances when they can't nail a goal or kick straight or at least play the percentages when it comes to shooting for goal on tight angles.

I think Sinclair has been superb from half back but it won't take much for opposition teams to start taking advantage of his lack of height. Long is taller and Long has a good leap so he could easily be playing back again at some stage and Sincs could be shifted and just float from wing and half forward.

[The Fireman]

Anywhere in the fwrd half for mine.
As said earlier any skill errors aren't as costly but the guy could really upset the defenders.

He has a bag of uncanny skills of his own and given the chance will shine I reckon.

He doesnt need confidence...he has the tenacity and is hard as a nut.

(as I said a lot earlier if half the side was filled with Longs , we would be better off )

[saynta]

From the heraldsun.com.au

The FF's The Tackle.

LIKES;

9. LONG ON SONG

Has found himself back on the forward line and although he isn’t a huge ball winner, his enthusiasm for the contest can’t be denied.

Love how he cracks in at the contest, which was a hallmark of St Kilda’s win over the Tigers.

He was played at halfback in 2020, lost his spot twice this year and on Friday played 100 per cent of game time as a forward — his highest percentage since round 21, 2019.

His fierce attitude was complemented by five score involvements on Friday night — the third most by a player.

Have the Saints found their mid-sized forwards in Long and Mason Wood, who played his best game for the club and perhaps his career?

[Otiman]

Long is a liability down back, not a genuine replacement for Paton.

Fits our forward structure perfectly. Keep him there in place of Lonie.

More than 6 selected due to rotations.

Small Fwds: Higgins, Butler
KPP Fwds: King, Battle, "Resting" ruck
Mid Fwd: Membrey, Wood
Defensive Fwd: Long

[Scollop]

Long is a liability down back, not a genuine replacement for Paton.

What?

If Long is a liability then so were another 15 players in the teams that got smashed by Melbourne, Essendon, Geelong, and Port Adelaide

Anyway…wtf do you mean by ‘replacement’?

We made finals last year. Long and Paton played side by side in the back line and both were a huge part of our success.

We got walloped against the Bulldogs didn’t we? Guess who didn’t play that day?