Drafted at No.13 in Thursday night's NAB AFL Draft, the 182cm Lonergan has a man's body and is already broader and stronger than at least half of his new teammates.
The nephew of former Bomber Sam, who played 79 games for Essendon before being delisted in October, the younger Lonergan has inherited a number of traits from his uncle.
"He's taught me pretty much everything about the game, how to pick the ball up, how to kick it, belted me up when I was a kid, so that's probably why I put on a bit of size so I don't get belted up by him, Lonergan laughed."
"He's like a big brother to me, he teaches me a lot about footy and a lot about life. I try and mould bits of my game off him."
Jesse is an AIS-AFL Academy graduate and has already played two seasons for Launceston in the TFL, playing in Grand Finals and acquitting himself well against senior bodies.
He describes himself as a passionate player for his teammates who loves attacking the ball and said the senior experience had fast-tracked his development.
"It's the best league in Tassie, so if you can play the best league as early as possible, it'll hold you in good stead," he said.
"Don't be scared of it (the contest). Just go and attack it. I think if you're scared of it, you're going to get hurt even more."
"They're bullies back home and they try and pick on the young guys, so you try and beat them with your skills and own attributes and beat them on the scoreboard."
Lonergan will begin training with the SUNS on Monday.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
