Long made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he was picked on the Kerry minor team having previously won an All-Ireland schools title, the Hogan Cup, with St. Brendan's Killarney in 1969. He enjoyed one season in this grade, ending the year as an All-Ireland runner-up. Long never played under-21 football with Kerry, however, he joined the senior team during the 1971-72 league. Over the course of the next six seasons, Long made a number of appearances on the team but failed to nail down a regular place on the starting fifteen. He won his sole All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute in 1975, while also winning three successive Munster medals from the bench and three National Football League medals, one of which was claimed on the field of play.
