Nikita Long and Jacob Long bring up milestone matches for St Mary’s
A pair of St Mary’s siblings with a famous name will celebrate special milestones this weekend, with one becoming the club’s first female life member while playing all her games at the same club.
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St Mary’s siblings Nikita Long and Jacob Long will both celebrate special milestones when they take to the field this weekend, with the former set to become a club life member.
Nikita Long will bring up 150 games for the St Mary’s Premier League side having played at the top level since she made her debut as a 14-year-old in the 2013-14 season.
Now she’s the captain of a side that sits second on the ladder, and after a narrow defeat in last year’s grand final is eager to grab a first premiership since the 2009-10 season.
But first the club is hoping to celebrate a milestone weekend for her and her brother, who will bring up game number 100 against the Palmerston Magpies.
The sibling’s father John Long was a famous player for the club having played in seven premiership winning sides in the mid to late 80s, and they’re continuing the on-field legacy.
For Nikita, she will also become the club’s first player to become a life member under the revamped NTFL women’s competition to have played all her games in the green and gold.
“It’s pretty special, my grandpa played for the club and my dad and all my uncles and brothers, so it’s an honour to get to be a part of that,” Nikita Long said.
“It’s hard to put into words how special it is not only for me, but for my whole family too.
“And to do it alongside my brother, we’re pretty lucky that we can do this on the same weekend and the whole family is pretty proud of us both.”
Nikita is a well-regarded captain known for driving the team in training but also for being the first to volunteer around the club whenever given the chance.
And she has played an important role in the defence for her young side alongside fellow experienced leaders Janet Baird and Billie Byers as they push towards the top.
“We’ve done really well and have come together really well as a team,” she said.
“The way we support and back each other has helped us get to where we are and I’m proud to be the captain of this side that has been building for a few seasons now.
“That showed against Nightcliff, it was a big game where we all stood up where we needed to, it will be the same against Palmerston, who fight hard where we will need to support each other again.”
It will be an equally proud moment for Jacob who will be hoping his milestone coincides with a change of fortune for his side that have dropped their past four games.
The defender has mixed his footy career, which includes two NTFL premierships, with basketball, and the competitiveness of both is something he thrives on.
“It’s a blessed moment to bring up this milestone, St Mary’s are a great club and they’re my family club so it means a lot to me,” he said.
“It’s crazy that I get to bring this up alongside Nikita, it’s something the family will be very happy to see and I’m so proud of her and all she’s done.
“The premiership wins were unreal, I grew up watching my brother win premierships and to have experienced it myself is one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt, I would love to it every year.”
Saints will be targeting this match for a win to both celebrate Jacob’s milestone and reverse their recent fortunes.
“Trainings are still really positive and we know we’re never out of it,” he said.
“There’s been a few ins and outs lately and our starts need to be fixed, we can’t have the starts we have ben against the top teams otherwise we’re just chasing all day.
“The focus needs to be to start well, get a few on the board early and shut the game off quickly, then I’ll hopefully get to sneak forward and try to get a goal.”
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