John Longmire returned to New South Wales and has been head coach of the Sydney Swans since 2011.
Longmire was hired as the Swans’ coaching supervisor by head coach Paul Roos in 2008. Following Roos’ retirement following the 2010 season, Longmire took over as head coach of the Sydney Swans as part of a succession plan.
With just five defeats in the first 14 rounds of the 2011 season, the 51-year-old made a respectable start to his coaching career. His maiden contest as head coach of the Sydney Swans in that year’s campaign ended in a tie with Melbourne.
Longmire took over as head coach at Sydney in 2011 after completing a long tenure under Rodney Eade and Paul Roos. He guided the Swans to the last four in his first season and the club’s sixth title in his second, in 2012. In 2014, when he was Swans manager, they qualified for another big final but lost to Hawthorn. The Bulldogs defeated them in 2016 after coming close before.
Longmire’s eight seasons as Sydney manager produced eight consecutive final appearances, an incredible feat unmatched by any other AFL club. However, others argue that the Swans should have won at least one more championship during this time.
Given that they reached the championship final every season, including the last five with Lance Franklin, who was perhaps the best player in the league at the time, they must have been a good team.
Regardless of the validity of such claims, John’s accomplishments as a player and coach would make many people envious. Additionally, Longmire also led the All-Stars team in the 2020 State of Origin Single Match, which was held on February 28, 2020 at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne.
