Quote The Dentist Wilf="The Dentist Wilf"I Think that there is an interesting issue here because the fact about the chanting did make think a bit about the rest of the players really!! (although the Longy Wonderland bit at the end where he conducted the crowd with the bottle of Champaigne was for me at least a memeory that will stay with me a long time) However reading the Southern Newspapers of late and the amount of exposure that Longy has got where there is usually no rugby league leads me to believe that we have at last fuond that rare commodity a personality. In modern sport and RL in particular they are few and far between and it looks to me that the club have signed a massive asset for them both on and off the field.It has to be managed but could turn out to be a master stroke. The adulation of the fans is all part and parcel of that hype which could be iorth hundreds of thousands to the club!! I thought myself that the Messiah Tee shirts was a risk, but it has worked after Saturday and the risk was worth while! He could prove to be the biggest 'Personality' we have had since Sterlo and Knocker!
Interesting times though and just my thoughts!'"
I was saying this to a B&W pal of mine, that no matter what else you get with Longy he will always attract the headlines and as the saying goes all publicity is good publicity. Its a similar type of thing to the signing of a Beckham in football. The downside (if thats what it is) is that when you're doing well the media will naturally be drawn to him and single him out (regardless of if he was the best that day) and the other players may get a bit peeved at that, or they may like the idea that they can just get on with their job. I would have thought the printing of Long on the back of shirts will be the most popular as well, which if he increases sales by 1% it's a bonus for the club.
He will always be the pantomime villain when you go to away matches, he will get the home crowds chanting and shouting at him which will get keep the heat of the others. He must enjoy that and it probably drives him on, if he didn't the dreads would have gone a while ago.
As a kind of neutral I didn't think he was the MoM for you lot on Friday, thought Lauiki should have taken it as his try and try saving tackle more or less closed the game out. But it was always going to be the Sean long day out so it was no surprise that it was given to him.