Former Essendon player Jake Long headlines a group of impressive recruits unveiled by GDFNL club Anakie.
Long, the son of Bombers icon Michael, played five games in five years at Essendon before being delisted at the end of 2019.
“He played in an Indigenous carnival with one of our players, Elliot Birch, and they hit it off,” Anakie coach Jayke Mawson said.
“Elliot sent me his number, and I gave him a few phone calls.
“I ran it be Heath (Menhennet, president), and he thought he’d be a good inclusion, so Elliot Birch’s connection helped.
“His wife is Aaron Davey’s cousin, so we’ve got a good connection with the Indigenous fellas, which is always good.”
Long spent several seasons in Cairns following his departure from Essendon before returning to Victoria to join Collingwood’s VFL team in 2023.
He played this year with Tullamarine in Division One of the Essendon and District League.
“I think he’ll be a premium player in the comp; he’ll be able to help out the likes of ‘Dalla’ (Luke Dahlhaus), ‘Broozer’ (Brad Gerrard), and Michael Crossett in the middle,” Mawson said.
“And he can go to half-back. He’s 6’1” (185cm) and takes a good mark, good speed, and he’s played AFL footy and been on a VFL list.
“He’s still in his prime, I think, and we got him at a really good time, so we’re pretty excited.”
Anakie has also added Jai Jeffrey, the brother of Gold Coast youngster Joel and son of former St Kilda and Brisbane player Russell, and ruckman Kain Fuller.
Jeffrey and Fuller have featured at Premier League level in the Northern Territory.
“Jai played in that (Indigenous) carnival, so another one that I can thank ‘Birchy’ for passing on his number,” Mawson said.
“He’s excited to hit the ground running; he’s got a lot of ability.
“He hasn’t been committed fully to a season for a few years, so he’s keen to get stuck in.
“He’s moved down here, and I think if he reaches his full potential, he could be very good across half-back.”
The arrival of Fuller, who spent a season with SANFL club Glenelg, is timely following the departure of Ajang Kuol Mun and question marks around the availability of Braydan Riddell, who has entered the police force.
“When we went to sign Jai, he was in the house,” Mawson said.
“He randomly popped over for a visit, so ‘two birds with one stone’ sort of thing.
“It’s all fallen in our lap, which is lucky because you speak to a lot of potential recruits, and it’s hard to get them over the line.
“We’ve been very fortunate over the last couple of weeks after missing out on a few.”
Mawson also confirmed Brayden Cotter would return to Anakie after seasons with Corio post-Covid.
However, he says John Whitehouse will play elsewhere in 2025, and Joel Jahn is undecided.
Anakie will commence training on Wednesday, November 26, before taking part in a charity cricket match against the town’s cricket club on the Friday.
The football and cricket Roos will join forces to raise funds for player Kyle Kent’s mum, Kay, who is battling breast cancer.
Geelong AFL star Tom Stewart has been roped in as guest umpire for the T20 clash.
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