The bubbly young small forward was robbed of the opportunity to significantly build on his impressive progress in his second season after a nasty knee injury suffered in round nine ended his campaign. A draft slider in 2022 who the Eagles were delighted to recruit with pick 58, Long exceeded expectations in his debut season, playing 19 games and booting seven goals to ultimately finish top-10 (tenth overall) in the Club Champion award. The diminutive Bendigo product was highly rated as a junior before suffering a broken collarbone which impacted his draft year, and has the football nous and work ethic to enjoy a long career at the top level. Held in high regard and was bestowed with retiring captain Luke Shuey's No.13 following the Norm Smith medallist's final game.
At a glance: Junior clubs: Echuca (VIC)/Geelong Grammar (VIC). Debut: Round 1, 2023. Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers (VIC). Brownlow votes: 0.
