Ben Long (footballer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ben Long
Long playing for St Kilda in April 2019
Personal information
Full name	Ben Long
Date of birth	(1997-08-21) 21 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Darwin, Northern Territory
Original team	St Mary's (NTFL) Footscray Bulldogs (VFL) NT Thunder (NEAFL)
Draft	No. 25, 2016 national draft
Debut	Round 4, 2017, St Kilda v. Collingwood, at Etihad Stadium
Position(s)	Defender/Forward
Club information
Current club	Gold Coast
Number	22
Career highlights
AFL Rising Star nominee: 2018

Ben Long is a professional Australian rules football player. He was born on August 21, 1997. Ben currently plays for the Gold Coast Suns team in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is known for playing both as a defender and a forward.

Ben Long's Early Life and Family

Ben Long grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory. He comes from a family of Indigenous Australians, with roots in the Anmatjerre, Malak-Malak, and Tiwi peoples. Football runs deep in his family!

A Family of Football Stars

Ben's grandfather, Jack Long Sr., and his father, Chris Long, were both champion footballers. They won premierships for the St Mary's team in the Northern Territory Football League.

Ben is also part of the famous Rioli-Long family. This means he has many relatives who are also well-known footballers:

• Michael Long (his uncle) won two premierships with Essendon. He also won the Norm Smith Medal in 1993.
• Cyril Rioli (his cousin) won four premierships with Hawthorn. He won the Norm Smith Medal in 2015.
• Daniel Rioli (his nephew) won three premierships with Richmond.
• Junior Rioli (another cousin) won a premiership with West Coast in 2018.
• Danielle Ponter (his cousin) won two premierships in the AFLW with Adelaide.

Starting His Football Journey

Ben played junior football for St Mary's in the NTFL. When he was 16, in 2014, he moved to Victoria. He received a scholarship to attend Melbourne Grammar. In 2016, he was part of the Footscray team that won the VFL premiership.

Ben Long's AFL Career

Ben Long has played for two teams in the AFL: St Kilda and the Gold Coast Suns.

Playing for St Kilda

The St Kilda Football Club chose Ben Long in the 2016 national draft. He was their first pick and the twenty-fifth player chosen overall.

Ben played his first AFL game in 2017. It was in round four against Collingwood at Etihad Stadium. St Kilda won that game by fourteen points.

In 2018, Ben was nominated for the AFL Rising Star award. This was after a great game against Greater Western Sydney in round five. He had fifteen disposals (times he got the ball), eight tackles, four marks, and kicked a goal.

In the last game of St Kilda's 2022 season, Ben had one of his best games ever. It was against the Sydney Swans on his 25th birthday. He had 27 disposals, took 17 marks, and kicked one goal.

After the 2022 season, Ben asked to be traded to the Gold Coast Suns. He had played six seasons with St Kilda. The trade happened on October 5, 2022.

Playing for Gold Coast Suns

When Ben first joined the Gold Coast Suns in 2023, he played in defence. He worked hard to find his best spot in the team.

In 2024, the new coach, Damian Hardwick, decided to move Ben to play as a forward. This change worked really well! Ben became a strong goalkicker for the Suns.

In round 12 of the 2024 season, Ben kicked a career-best four goals against Essendon. He did it again in the first game of the 2025 season against West Coast. These great performances helped him become one of the top players in the competition early in 2025.

Career Statistics

These statistics are updated to the end of the 2024 season.

Notes