Long - a Premiership player and Norm Smith Medalist - is among the greatest aboriginals to have ever played the game. ""I hope to do the jumper proud for Michael Long and our supporters and hopefully create my own legacy if I can,"" Lovett said..
Lovett’s number change was one of many that have been made for the upcoming season. Father / Son draftee Jay Neagle has been give the number 34 guernsey – the same number worn early in the career of his father Merv when he arrived at Windy Hill.
Chris Heffernan gets his number 26 guernsey back – the same number he wore as a member of Essendon’s 2000 Premiership side. Jason Laycock moves to number 27, the guernsey vacated by Matthew Allan and previously worn by Steven Alessio.
New Bomber Scott Camporeale will wear number 17 while Henry Slattery has moved from number 34 to number 20. Richard Cole gets number 28. Essendon first draft pick Patrick Ryder will wear number 30.
The full Essendon list of numbers is:
Mark Johnson
Ricky Dyson
Aaron Henneman
Jobe Watson
James Hird
Angus Monfries
Dean Solomon
Jason Winderlich
Adam Ramanuaskas
Mark McVeigh
Damien Peverill
Andrew Welsh
Andrew Lovett
Jason Johnson
Courtenay Dempsey
Kepler Bradley
Scott Camporeale
Matthew Lloyd
David Hille
Henry Slattery
Courtney Johns
Tristan Cartledge
Mark Bolton
Brent Stanton
Scott Lucas
Chris Heffernan
Jason Laycock
Richard Cole
Joel Reynolds
Patrick Ryder
Dustin Fletcher
Andrew Lee
Adam McPhee
Jay Neagle
Ben Jolley (rookie)
Sam Lonergan
Austin Lucy
Jay Nash
Heath Hocking (rookie)
Matthew Firman (rookie)
Tim O’Keefe (rookie)
Nathan Lovett-Murray
Dean Rioli
Lachlan McKinnon (rookie)
