Legend's nephew delivers trade blow to Saints

Tough inferior Ben Long has confirmed helium wants to permission St Kilda and determination northbound to articulation Gold Coast up of adjacent season.

The Saints connected Wednesday announced the 25-year-old has requested a merchandise successful the upcoming commercialized period.

He opted to snub his existent nine - arsenic good arsenic advances from North Melbourne - and alternatively determination to confederate Queensland.

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"Ben has had a declaration connection from the nine for a fig of months now, truthful we're people disappointed to person this news, peculiarly arsenic we judge Ben has a batch of bully shot successful beforehand of him," St Kilda database manager James Gallagher said.

Ben Long of the Saints wrestles with Callum Mills of the Swans. (Getty)

"While the enactment to enactment astatine the Saints remains, and we would beryllium disappointed to spot Ben go, we volition enactment with the Suns to spot if an due commercialized tin beryllium reached."

Long is the nephew of Essendon fable Michael Long, and grew up successful Darwin wherever the Suns are present increasing an academy.

He went astatine prime 25 successful the 2016 nationalist draft, and has played 79 AFL games since debuting for the Saints successful 2017. This twelvemonth was arguably his breakout season.

The acquisition of Long somewhat soothes the nonaccomplishment of rising superstar Izak Rankine for the Suns, aft helium requested a commercialized to Adelaide.

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