Four weeks is a long time in footy.

A month ago, Tom Nicholls and Tom Hickey – two players who, incidentally, were down in the pecking order at the GC SUNS in the club’s inaugural season – looked set to face off when Gold Coast and St Kilda clashed in round 9 as the respective No. 1 ruckmen at their clubs.  Two players without much senior football under their belts will instead battle it out around the ground at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Zac Smith and Billy Longer getting call-ups as a result of both Toms suffering injuries which will see them sidelined for the foreseeable future.

While Smith will play his first match at any level in 12 months after coming back from knee surgery, Longer has at least had three games to three games to adjust to his new surroundings after he left the Brisbane Lions at the end of last season, the club that selected him with the eighth pick in the 2011 draft.

“It’s not great for Tom Hickey when he went down, but it’s been a blessing in disguise for me to get some experience, as well,” Longer said.

“I’ve just been trying to take the opportunity and improve as much as possible.

“Personally, I think with games in the AFL, it’s hard not to mature.  You need to continually improve and the game really forces you to.”

While Longer struggled for game time behind Matthew Leuenberger and Ben Hudson at the Lions, Smith headed the SUNS’ ruck stocks for the club’s first two seasons before injuries curtailed his involvement. 

“It’s been a long journey.  It’s been pretty tough, at times,” Smith said.

“It’s been probably mentally challenging, rather than physically over the whole time.

“Mentally, it’s nothing to do with my physical fitness, it’s more that I haven’t played the game in 12 months and I’ll be pretty nervous on how I perform.”

Smith has 44 AFL games to his name while Longer has lined up in just 12, but after coming up against seasoned veterans Sam Jacobs, Ben McEvoy, David Hale and Robert Warnock the past few weeks, the Saints big man said he is looking forward to taking on another young gun.

“With young ruckmen, me being one, sometimes you’re not as quick to adjust on the other opponent spreading off, so maybe that’s something I’ll try to implement,” Longer said.

“It’s a good chance to really use my body, as well.”