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6th December 2015
12:07pm GMT
There are a few extra reasons why Long deserves your vote and it's mainly due to his determination, character and selflessness. Cast your mind back to late March, Poland were the visitors to Dublin and Long - who had just scored against Burnley the week before for Southampton - was sat on the bench with Ireland in desperate need a goal.
There's a strong case for Long to be an automatic starter in O'Neill's side but I'm not going to argue that point here because there's something else that deserves much more attention and praise.
While sat on the sidelines, some footballers can easily get the hump and throw their toys out of the pram but Long is the exact opposite. He embodies the values that Irish football fans respect because his work rate, dedication and commitment to the cause can never be questioned.
The Tipp native was introduced against the Poles with six minutes remaining and he looked like a man possessed. His shrewd movement and intelligence ensured that he was in the right place to score a valuable equaliser and keep Ireland's qualification hopes alive.
Let's fast forward now to that memorable night at the Aviva as the world champions arrived needing a win to book qualification. Football can be fickle at times because amidst a team of Irish heroes, one man took his chance to ensure that his name will be forever remembered by football fans.
Ray's header in Stuttgart. O'Leary's penalty in Genoa. Ray's chip in New York. Jason's curler in Dublin. They're all iconic moments in Ireland's sporting culture but none of them were against the world champions.
Again, THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!
Let's be honest, it's tough to be an Irish football fan at times.
All too frequent qualification heartbreaks are made worse by a nostalgic yearning for past glories but in our 'downer moments', we rely on the memory of special games and goals to keep our optimism, hope and belief alive. That's priceless and it's the reason why 2015 belongs to Shane Long.
Ireland is a sporting nation, it's in our blood and touches every parish in the country, but ask yourself one question. What's going to be that defining 'Reeling In The Years' moment from 2015 that united the whole country?
This time, the answer is a long shot.
If you're still on the fence then you should know that Long is an incredibly decent and kind bloke as well. He took the time to pose for fans in Coppers after the match, loves his hurling and is happy to play guitar in Temple Bar to a crowd of strangers.
The decision is easy.
Cast your vote for the JOE Man of the Year sponsored by Virgin Media here and on the rest of the JOE Men of the Year categories here.
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