[2] On 26 August 2006, Lonergan suffered serious internal injury to his kidney whilst playing in a Round 21 draw against Melbourne - which was also just his seventh AFL-level match.

[3] Lonergan was immediately hospitalised, taken to the Geelong Hospital and had been in a stable condition before his blood pressure rose overnight,[4] forcing him to undergo trauma surgery to remove his right kidney.

[3] His kidney was found to be badly lacerated and bruised, which was accentuated by the scar tissue caused by a previous footballing injury he had suffered as a 16-year-old.

Club doctor Chris Bradshaw compared Lonergan's efforts to return to professional sport with those of Jason McCartney, who was injured in the 2002 Bali bombing before playing one final game.

[11] The accident occurred when Lonergan was driving to training, and another car careered into his passenger-side door and pushed him into oncoming traffic.

[8] To cap a fairytale return to football Lonergan played in the 126-52 VFL Grand Final win over the Coburg Tigers kicking six goals[1] earning him the Norm Goss Memorial Medal for best on ground.

As a result of his strong form and full recovery from his injuries, Lonergan was elevated to Geelong's senior list for the 2008 AFL Premiership Season.

[16] During the 2014 AFL trade period, Lonergan was offered a three-year contract to join the Western Bulldogs, in a deal estimated to be worth $500,000 a season.

[17] Lonergan, who was already contracted to Geelong for 2015,[17] ultimately rejected the offer, citing loyalty to his teammates and the resignation of the Western Bulldogs' coach Brendan McCartney as his main reasons for remaining with the club.