AFL 2024: Sydney Swans coach John Longmire opens up on new recruits, a refreshing off-season and the year ahead

It’s been a big off-season in Sydney – and a very different one for John Longmire. So what can we expect in 2024? LACHLAN McKIRDY sat down with the Swans coach to find out.

The Sydney Swans are one of the top contenders this AFL season, but coach John Longmire doesn’t subscribe to the idea that it’s all or nothing for his side in 2024.

During a busy trade period the Swans were able to bring in the talented quartet of Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, James Jordon and Joel Hamling.

The group provides both premiership-winning and All-Australian experience to Longmire’s side and appears to be the missing piece to the puzzle to several issues that plagued them last year.

And while they’re all in for a premiership, Longmire doesn’t believe there is any increased pressure on his side to be lifting the cup in September than there is any other season.

“It’s pretty hard I guess after Lance Franklin retired, one of the greats of all time goes out the door and gets to the end of his career,” Longmire said.

“But I think the reality is we’ve got some good players in. We were still able to bring four 18-year-olds in, and the year before, we were able to bring in more 18-year-olds off the back of a young team playing in a grand final.

“It was important to look after the now, but also the future. We kept our future first and gained North Melbourne’s (end of first round) compensation pick.

“The fortunate thing is that those guys who we brought in from other clubs all bring in something different and unique, both in a positional sense, but also just their experience.

“I think that’s good for the players we’ll put on our list.”

John Longmire knows improvements will need to be made after bowing out in the first week of the 2023 finals. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

The balance for Longmire, as always, has been to both future-proof the Swans and build a team that’s ready to compete deep in September.

Of the four new players, Jordan and Hamling were free agents, Grundy was out of favour at Melbourne and Adams’ agent was exploring the market to see what was available. The Swans were lucky, in a sense, that they all aligned to arrive in the same pre-season.

But Longmire is under no allusion of the positive impact they’ll have on the team immediately.

“I have (been impressed),” he said. “For the first period in a while, we were able to be active in that space and bring in a number of different players which adds to the group that we’re confident in.

“It’s great to see Brodie just running around, a big fella in the ruck. Hick (Tom Hickey) did a great job for us and Pete (Ladhams) has had some injury challenges. So Brodie has come up here and had a big presence in pre-season which has been awesome.

“Taylor has come in and shows the experience and knowledge that he’s got and trains at a high intensity, those guys both do.

“We’ve been impressed by Joel who’s come in from a vast amount of experience at different clubs and he’s got a real knack for helping younger players. And James has once again come from a great program and has had a bit of experience at finals level and in a grand final.

“So, I think all of them help add something and bring something unique that they’re good at.”

Taylor Adams and Brodie Grundy have provided an immediate boost in experience to Longmire’s side. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Longmire might be entering his 14th season as an AFL head coach, but he is feeling as refreshed as ever following a busy off-season.

He was one of several Swans coaches who spent time in the US for a professional development tour, while also getting back to the family farm near the NSW-Victoria border for some quality time with his family.

It has him prepared, both physically and mentally, for one of the biggest seasons in the Swans’ history. Not only will they open the season a week earlier against the Demons on March 7, but the club is also celebrating its 150th anniversary.

The side impressed in patches in 2023, but he knows they will need to find a new level to challenge the top teams in the competition.

“I was able to get away for the first time in probably five years and travel overseas and do some different things and I found that really stimulating,” Longmire said. “In the AFL environment, it’s been hard to do that up until now.

“I had a really good off-season and came out of that period feeling refreshed.

“A new year is a new year and I think you’ve got to take some lessons from the past as always, but your focus turns to what’s in front of you very quickly.

“In some ways, the resilience we were able to show last year was a real positive for the footy club, to be able to do that I thought was fantastic.

“We’ve got players who will continue to learn. And I think from that perspective, they’ll learn, they’ll take lessons as we all do. The players are in good condition and looking forward to it.”

Getting the best out of his young players has always been one of the main motivators for Longmire. Picture: Phil Hillyard

With Longmire doing his best to balance the present and the future, one of his toughest tasks will be locking down some of their best young talent.

Errol Gulden, Logan McDonald, James Rowbottom and Ollie Florent are just a few of the stars who will be at the negotiating table in 2024.

While the Swans are no guarantee of keeping all of them with salary cap pressures, knowing he can have a big impact on their immediate careers is what continues to motivate Longmire.

“It’s the industry every year,” Longmire said. “From our perspective, I love all of our players and I want all of them to stay for as long as they can, and want, to stay.

“But it doesn’t always work like that. There’s a reality in the industry, it just is what it is and it’ll work its way through.

“The exciting thing is always seeing the evolution of the playing group. To know that the building blocks in place can always be added to. You look at that and see players come through and mature, both on and off the field.

“That’s the best part of the job, seeing how they’re coming through and evolving, like I do as a coach. I think that’s the best thing.”