It’s often said in everyday life you only get one chance to make a good first impression. But sometimes, given the stop-start-repeat nature of AFL football and the unique relationship between player and coach, it’s not so simple. And Ben Long is probably pretty happy about it.

For 41 days early last season, Long’s AFL career was in neutral after what might be considered an inauspicious ‘first impression’ on coach Damien Hardwick at the SUNS.

Having watched the SUNS win their first two games under Hardwick at home, Long played his first game under Hardwick in Round 3 against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.

He was subbed out in the third quarter of an eight-goal loss with four possessions and two behinds from 75 minutes of football.

After a Round 4 bye, Long was left out in Round 5 and played three games in the VFL before getting another AFL opportunity in Round 9 against Brisbane at the Gabba.

To most it would have been an anxious time, but Long at least had the comfort of a few ‘credits’ with the ‘Bank of Hardwick’.

He’d enjoyed a 5-2 win/loss record in seven games for St Kilda against Hardwick and the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premiers prior to Hardwick’s move to the Gold Coast. A rarity for opposition players against the Tigers through this period.

He’d even polled the only Brownlow Medal votes of his career against a Hardwick-coached Richmond in Round 4, 2020 when he had 17 possessions and seven tackles in a 26-point St Kilda win.

So it’s not like Hardwick didn’t know the now 27-year-old Darwin product could play. He’d seen it first-hand. And he knew well the history of football’s famous Long/Rioli family, includes dual Essendon premiership player and 1993 Norm Smith Medallist Michael Long, four-time Hawthorn premiership player rand 2015 Norm Smith Medallist Cyril Rioli, and three-time Richmond premiership player turned SUNS teammate Daniel Rioli.

He probably knew Long had followed a similar path to Daniel, having moved to Victoria at 16 in 2014 on a scholarship at Melbourne Grammar. And, having been captain of the NT Under 18 side and gone undrafted in 2015, had played in Footscray’s 2016 VFL premiership.

And he probably knew Long had been drafted by St Kilda with Pick 25 in a 2016 AFL National Draft in which the SUNS had taken Ben Ainsworth at Pick 4, Jack Scrimshaw at Pick 7, Will Brodie at Pick 10 and Jack Bowes at Pick 11.

Long may not have been totally overjoyed to start as the substitute in his comeback game against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 8 last year, when he played 48% game time for three possessions and a goal in a 34-point loss.

But he’d done something that was a pointer of better things to come… he’d got himself on the goal sheet – something he’d done only nine times in his previous 65 games in his last three years at St Kilda from 2020-22 and his first year at Gold Coast in 2023.

It was the start of one of football’s great transitions. From a utility player deployed mostly in defence he’s become one of the game’s most consistent medium-size forwards.

He’s got himself amongst the goals in 23 of his next 25 games, and after averaging 0.33 goals a game through his first 95 games, he’s increased that almost five-fold to 1.92 goals a game.

Fearless and unfashionable, hard and uncompromising, he’s kicked 48 goals in those 25 games. And been much more than a goalkicker in a SUNS forward line where Ben King is the primary focus.

Only 11 players in the competition have kicked more home-and-away goals since the Long run began in Round 8 last year – GWS’ Jesse Hogan (85), Geelong’s Jeremy Cameron (72), teammate King (67), Adelaide’s Darcy Fogarty (61), Carlton’s Charlie Curnow (58), GWS’ Toby Greene (56) North’s Nick Larkey (55), Port’s Mitch Georgiades (55), Fremantle’s Josh Treacy (54), St Kilda’s Jack Higgins (51), and Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston (50) and West Coast’s Jake Waterman (49).

And according to AFL player ratings, Long is the fourth-ranked SUNS player in the competition this year. He’s at #38 with ratings score of 13.80 behind only #3 Noah Anderson (17.98), #11 Matt Rowell (16.43) and #13 Touk Miller (16.31).

Three other SUNS are in the top 100 - Jarrod Witts (13.68) is #41, Bailey Humphrey (13.07) is #52, and Joel Jeffrey (11.22) is #98.

As has become the norm, Long will be a crucial figure at People First Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the SUNS host ninth-placed Fremantle from 1.20pm.

The SUNS have an aggregate 5-10 record against the Dockers, having split their last 10 meetings after starting 0-5 from 2011-15. They are 4-3 against Fremantle at People First Stadium, having won their last four on the Coast – by 24 points in 2016, three points in 2019, 13 points in 2020 and 36 points in 2022.

Eleven members of that 2022 SUNS side will be missing on Saturday – Charlie Ballard and ex-Docker Lachie Weller (injured), Brandon Ellis, Levi Casboult, Darcy Macpherson and Rory Thompson (retired), Izak Rankine (Adelaide), Mabior Chol (Hawthorn), Jy Farrar (emergency) and Connor Budarick and Malcolm Rosas (not selected).