By JARROD POTTER
HE HAS Saints fans’ tongues wagging already, a testament to Jack Lonie’s amazing talents only 12 games into a league career.
Number 37 – the in-and-under pocket rocket – was named the AFL Rising Star nominee for round 14 as he continued his rapid progression into the AFL ranks.
Lonie’s nomination was on the back of an 18-disposal effort in St Kilda’s rampaging 110-point win over Essendon on Sunday.
The fans have gravitated to the Seaford sensation en masse, with some going as far to duct-tape a “3” next to the “7” on their old Lenny Hayes jumpers.
Others have compared the 18-year-old forward to former Saints forward dynamo Stephen Milne – with the pair walking a similar path into the AFL via the Dandenong Stingrays.
Needless to say, whoever he is compared to, Lonie is receiving glowing endorsements across the league in his debut season and has throughout his junior career rising through the ranks for Seaford and into the TAC Cup and last year’s national championships.
“I suppose it was a little bit surprising – I felt my game was strong … it’s obviously a terrific honour and something I’m pretty proud of.
“I’ve had a lot of clarity in my role, which has given me a lot of confidence, and so has the rest of the playing group – they’ve let me in with open arms and felt a lot of belonging in the senior team at the moment and got a lot of confidence out of that.”
Lonie earned his place in the Saints line-up for their round one clash against Greater Western Sydney and has clamped onto it ever since, savouring the challenge of life in a new look St Kilda forward line alongside fellow recruits Josh Bruce and Tim Membrey.
“Lucky enough I got my spot for round one and I’ve been in ever since so it’s been good,” Lonie said. “Just want to play as much as possible and I know I can play at this level now, so I really want to just stay in the team and work on building a bit of success and build a strong culture at the club.”
Capping off his nomination earning match with a scintillating goal – Lonie threaded the needle on an incredible boundary-line rolling goal to ice the result and send the Saints’ faithful into a joyful frenzy.
Lonie and his beloved Saints have surprised many this season – pushing to 13th on the ladder with a 5-8 record – ahead of the clash against Greater Western Sydney away on Sunday from 1.10pm.
