Former Essendon player Jake Long headlines a trio of talented players from the Northern Territory to sign with Geelong District Football League club Anakie for the 2025 season.
The 28-year-old featured in five AFL games for Essendon between 2016 and 2019 after originally being taken as a father-son selection in the 2015 AFL Rookie Draft.
Long is the son of Bombers legend and AFL Hall of Fame member Michael Long.
Anakie coach Jayke Mawson told K Rock Geelong that Long joined the Kangaroos via a link with one of the club's players.
"He played in an Indigenous carnival with one of our players, Elliot Birch, and they hit it off," Mawson said.
"His wife is Aaron Davey's cousin, so we've got a good connection with the Indigenous fellas, which is always good.
"I think he'll be a premium player in the comp; and he can go to half-back."
Long played 82 VFL games for the Bombers and has more recently plied is trade in the AFL Cairns competition for the Cairns City Lions.
After starring in Cairns, the former AFL player returned to Melbourne where he had a short stint with Collingwood's VFL team.
Last year, Long played 15 games for Essendon District Football League club Tullamarine, where he featured in the team's best players on 11 occasions.
"He's 6'1" (185cm) and takes a good mark, good speed, and he's played AFL footy and been on a VFL list," Mawson said.
"He's still in his prime, I think, and we got him at a really good time, so we're pretty excited."
Utility player Jai Jeffrey and emerging ruckman Kain Fuller will also join the Kangaroos.
Jeffrey is the youngest son of former St Kilda player Russell Jeffrey and the younger brother of Gold Coast Suns defender Joel Jeffrey.
A junior with Wanderers in the Northern Territory Football League, Jeffrey has missed plenty of footy over the past couple of years, but Mawson said that he is keen to return.
"He hasn't been committed fully to a season for a few years, so he's keen to get stuck in," Mawson told K Rock.
"He's excited to hit the ground running; he's got a lot of ability.
"He's moved down here, and I think if he reaches his full potential, he could be very good across half-back."
20-year-old Fuller is a talented prospect who can play multiple positions, including centre half back and even a pinch-hitting role in the ruck.
He spent his junior career featuring for the Northern Territory and representative level multiple times and also had a stint with SANFL club Glenelg.
Last year he played seven senior games in the NTFL for Palmerston.
Mawson told the Geelong Advertiser he was excited about Fuller's potential and athleticism.
"He's very athletic, he was more of centre half back and then they (Palmerston) put him in the ruck last year," Mawson said.
"He says he's still a bit green in there but he's pretty keen to get amongst it.
"You can teach them a bit of craft but you can't really teach athleticism.
"Once I get to see him down at training, you don't sort of don't really pigeonhole them into one spot until you really see what is the best balance for the team."
