Switch out of the pool pays big dividends

CONOR Long was no fish out of water when he chose to give up swimming and devote all his sporting energies to football.Across four years Long combined his interests, playing with Emmanuel Hawks junior teams at the same time he trained and competed with Warrnambool Swimming Club.At the age of 16, after 10 years in the pool, he made the switch which ultimately led him to North Warrnambool Eagles Football Netball Club."Swimming took up a lot of my time and before then I hadn't done much with my footy," Long recalled."I'd been down to a lot of AFL games supporting the (Western) Bulldogs and just loved it a bit more because it was team orientated."In 2007, his final year with Emmanuel Hawks, Long played an under 18 game with South Warrnambool.He later attended some pre-season training with the Roosters but through a friendship with North player Matthew Buck also joined the Eagles' playing group for some sessions at Bushfield Oval."I never made my mind up straight away," Long said."North were a little more welcoming."In 2008, coach Leigh McCluskey was introducing his rookie to the Eagles' football structures and teaching him maths methods at Emmanuel College."I played under 18s most of last year," Long said."I trained with the seniors and got my chance in round four and five. "Halfway through the season I sprained ligaments in my ankle and missed five weeks."It also limited the early stages of his next pre-season but Long stepped it up after Christmas and played in all the senior practice matches.He has played every round of 2009, establishing a regular position on North's half-back line."I started the year as a wingman but struggled to read the game a bit," Long said."Halfway through the second game they put me behind the footy and being in the backline helped me read the play a lot better."I've played more as a runner from the backline. Running and my kicking is probably a strength."The 18-year-old defender will see some familiar faces in the opposition ranks today at Bushfield Oval when North meets South for the third time this season. "I'm pretty happy because Jordan Dillon is coming back from the Rebels this week and I'm good friends with him," Long said."I know Wil Pomerin from junior footy at Emmanuel. I played on him last time we played South for half a game."With the head-to-head score at one-all, Long said there was a positive outlook heading into the contest."It helps getting a few players back," he said, referring to the inclusions of Zac Ledin, Marcus Darmody, Billy Smedts and Jeremy Parkinson.While North is chasing its second win of the season, South brings added motivation to the contest as a win will keep it in the race for fifth place.In other round 16 matches, top side Terang Mortlake faces one of the league's hardest away assignments at Cobden, second-placed Koroit hosts the out-of-sorts Camperdown and Warrnambool is chasing a season sweep against Port Fairy at Reid Oval.