Long has been selected in the Knights under-15 development squad and travelling between Laurieton and the Hunter won’t be a problem.

​He grew up on Sydney’s northern beaches in the suburb of Narrabeen and at the time he felt the location was the best one to make the NRL.

The family then moved to the Mid North Coast in pursuit of a slower paced lifestyle and job opportunities for his parents.​

The teenager knew it would be a long, hard road but was willing to accept the only way to make his dream a reality was through persistence and hard work.

Two and a half years later, the 14-year-old centre or lock forward returned home from a day at the beach to a pleasant surprise.

“About three weeks ago I came home from the beach and there was something in the letterbox that congratulated me on being picked in the Knights under-15 development squad,” Long said.

“I was stoked; I had a smile on my face and I couldn’t stop smiling all day.”

Despite spending his younger years within a stones throw of Brookvale Oval, Long never had any interest in supporting the Manly Sea Eagles.

He instead chose the Brisbane Broncos after a few years following the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

A Broncos poster hangs on his wall.

“I liked the Broncos colours and remember watching Origin one night when it was on and I was going for Queensland and mum and dad were going for New South Wales,” he said.

“Then Queensland won so I picked a Queensland team.”

But in November he will pull on the red and blue of the Knights for an intensive six-month program.

Should he impress the right people, selection in the Knights Harold Matthews (under-16) team awaits.

“I’ve heard a bit that some of the (Knights) players come down for training and run you through a few of their training drills and things like that which will be really good,” he said.

At home in either the centres or at lock forward, Long said he tried to mould his game on specific players.

“I like to watch Dane Gagai or Jeremy Smith, even though he retired last year,” he said.

Long will switch from Camden Haven to the Taree Panthers for the 2017 season and will aim to play in Group 3 if his Knights experience does not eventuate.

“In the under-18s I’d like to play for the Port Sharks in a couple of years,” he said.

The Camden Haven High School student knows the hard work has only just begun.

“You have to work for it, because nothing comes for free and if you work hard enough you can get to where you want.”