#34 Jake Long - you’re cut, so long

Langford took quite a few games in the seniors to find his game. Long has great footy senses in my opinion, has great awareness of where his team mates are at any given time. Exactly like his dad did, Execution bit off, but everyone needs time to get used to physicality and tempo of senior footy. Rest of the year is a perfect opportunity to see if he can cut it

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Give him a few more games to see how he goes. Perfect opportunity for him this week.

Ditto Francis and Id like to see BZT get a run too at some stage this year

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I reckon you’ll see Francis, but Zerk would get slaughtered at AFL level. Very promising prospect, but not ready for the big boys yet. Same boat as Draper really.

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Could play a different role perhaps? I mean look at Gleeson, could he play that role?

Nup. He’s not that sort of player. And even if he we’re, there is Redman and Ridley already for that role. No way they’d play someone else. Zerk is more your pack splitter, big aggressive defender. Exactly what we will need when Hooker slows too much and Hartley isn’t up to that job. He is also a better rebounder (instinct wise) than either of them. But he is a fair way off, physically, for the main show. I seriously wouldn’t look for him until probably 2020 barring serious injury problems to our big guys.

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Reckon he is being marked incredibly harshly. I thought he showed plenty. Yes he made a few mistakes, but the guy has only played a handful of games, one of the HTB was a bullshit call and from memory one other the ball should probably not have been given to him in the first place as he was already hot. Give him an extended run to see if he can get comfortable with the speed of the game.

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I’m excited about his prospects. Just like Guelfi, Redman and Ridley before him I expect Long to excel. The fact he’s an indigenous player excites as well. I’ve felt a little melancholy about the lack of indigenous players on the list. Seeing he and Walla tearing it up in the seniors would be something special. Go Jake!

Watched that game again last night and gee Hep sailed him up a river on that last holding the ball, why did he handpass to him in a 1 on 3?

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Did some really nice clean work in tight spaces which created a opportunities and showed he could make good quick decisions when playing on instinct.

Got caught a couple of times when there wasn’t a good quick decision to make. A very common mistake from players with little experience at the level.

I’ve never been overwhelmed by his ability but there is a bit of something there and he might actually benefit from playing at the higher level surrounded by better players who help create moments for him. He’s got a few tricks and I’ve always liked his aggression which is something jerret lacks.

Certainly I’ve seen players show far far less than he did on Sunday and they were given countless numbers of uninspiring senior games to prove themselves.

Redman surprised me this year when he jumped up and grabbed his opportunity and I now see him completely differently. Perhaps long can do the same.

He’s not a lost cause but he remains on thin ice. He stays in and plays for his career over the next month.

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he had plenty of time to get rid of it

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I’d honestly give him the rest of the year, he’s as capable as Baguley, Colyer or Green when played as a small forward, has a better balanced game between offence and defense than the other 3 imo. Brings a good energy, a sort of bouncy mongrel like his dad. Would love to see what he would bring to our forwardline if it wasn’t decimated by injuries. Has some good tools for the forwardline; quick, sharp hands in traffic and those Tiwi 1%ers.

Fantasia (for/mid) - Daniher (CHF/3rdR) - Walla (for/mid) — Begley (for/mid)
Stringer (for/mid) - McKernan (FF/2ndR)- Long (Dfor)

A lot of talent and more than enough moxie to get under the skin of their opponents and play a little dirty; they’d all thrive off of each others ‘fighting spirit’ too.

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Whenever I’ve watched him play, it’s in tight spaces that I see his talent.

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Didn’t look out of place. Got involved in a few nice chains. There is a bit to work with there, and so he should be in the mix for the team going forward into 2019. Unfortunately for Jake, he will face even more competition for a spot next season, as some of our newer recruits begin to also press their cases more and more for inclusion. Not a bad position for the club to be in.

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If the answer is either Long or Jerrett, what the heck is the question?

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He had plenty of time to get rid of it, took 2-3 steps yeah?
From memory Hep was in something of a pack himself in the right back pocket and handballed to Long inboard who had 5m of space before some other Pies.
Was there actually better options Hep missed?

I saw enough to think he has to play out the remainder of this season. Some really nice handballs through traffic to release players… good vision on the spread and seemed to work hard defensively.

The costly HTB decisions weren’t a highlight but they will improve the longer he players at this level and gets used to the speed.

Is the prime example of the kind of player that should be in the best 22 when the season is effectively ‘over’. Find out what we have before making a decision on the contract.

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Jake’s immortal??

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“Jake has shown more in his career so far than Jobe Watson did at the same age.”

Jobe always had a great handball and vision, there’s two weapons that he had that set him apart in his early days. He went too another level when he built up his fitness and started kicking.
I can’t really see anything that makes jake stand out.

Jobe was our best midfielder bar hird when he was 22. He achieved heaps more than long at the same age.

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