Career : 2005 - 2006
Debut : Round 4, 2005 vs Port Adelaide, aged 25 years, 303 days
Carlton Player No. 1086
Games : 11
Goals : 10
Last Game : Round 10, 2006 vs Port Adelaide, aged 27 years, 8 days
Guernsey No. 21
Height : 185 cm (6 ft. 1 in.)
Weight : 81 kg (12 stone, 11 lbs.)
DOB : 27 May 1979
Fate and injury conspired to wreck Troy Longmuir’s short career with the Blues, after the West Australian had played more than 70 games of AFL football at two other clubs. He came to Princes Park in 2005 looking for a third opportunity to play at elite level, only to have his stay prematurely ended by injury.
Originally from West Perth, Longmuir joined Melbourne in 1998, and played 17 games in two seasons at Jolimont. A 185 cm, long-kicking left-footer who took a strong grab for his size, he was used at both ends of the ground by the Demons, but never really settled, and requested a trade back to WA at the end of his second season.
He crossed to Fremantle in 2000, and was just establishing himself in the team when his progress was halted by a calf muscle tear that took a long time to heal. When he did regain fitness, the Dockers used him as a second or third-string marking forward. He kicked 36 goals in 55 games for Freo, before he was offered up for trade again in 2004.
Meanwhile, Carlton was still reeling from the penalties imposed on the club for salary cap breaches in 2002, and was trawling the football world for overlooked talent. So, with selection 73 in the 2004 national draft (which ended up as selection 67, because other clubs passed) Longmuir became a Blue.
Troy played his first match for Carlton in a remarkable draw against Port Adelaide in a Saturday-night match at Football Park in round 4, 2005, giving Carlton fans some heart with four impressive marks inside the 50-metre arc – but also causing anguish by missing two relatively-easy shots to finish up with 2.2 for the night.
He went on to play ten matches and kick nine goals for the year, which was just enough to keep him on the list for 2006. However, before his second season began, he was struck down by the footballer’s nemesis - osteitis pubis – and spent three months recovering.
Eventually, Troy earned a recall to the seniors for another clash against Port Adelaide on a Sunday afternoon in round 10 of 2006 at Docklands. But late in the match - which eventually went to the Power by 34 points – Longmuir was slung hard in a tackle, and his shoulder was damaged so severely that it ended both his season and his career at Princes Park.
Although he was pronounced fit enough to return to the field late in the year for Carlton’s VFL affiliate club, the Northern Bullants, Troy never played at senior level again. After being delisted by the Blues at the end of the year, he returned to West Perth in 2007, and wasted little time in giving his home club the benefit of his experience.
In 2009, Longmuir was still playing good football for the Falcons. During the year, he brought up his 100th game for the club, his 200th goal, and finished runner-up in their Best and Fairest award.