John Longmire opens up on his journey at Sydney and coaching future

It was supposed to be a two-year “adventure” for John Longmire but Sydney has become his life. But is a near two-decade career at the Swans coming to end, or will he lead their rebuild?

John Longmire had just bought what was supposed to be his “forever” house in Melbourne.

Boxes were still stacked up in the hallway when he walked in and said to his soon-to-be wife, Shelley, “how would you feel about going to Sydney?”.

It was supposed to be a two-year “adventure” as the Swans assistant coach, but nearly two decades on, Sydney has become Longmire’s life.

When the Swans run out against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday, Longmire will surpass predecessor, close friend, and mentor Paul Roos for most games as head coach of the Sydney Swans — chalking up match No.203.

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It’s a significant milestone in a ­significant career.

Longmire is more than just a premiership-winning coach.

Off the field he has proven the most committed ambassador the AFL could want in what the 48-year-old describes as, “the most challenging market in world sport.”

Longmire’s three children, two boys and a girl, have spent their ­entire lives in Sydney and are all part of the Swans’ flourishing academy system. His highlight every week is getting a sausage sandwich and watching them run around.

But times are changing.

The struggling Sydney Swans are headed for a rebuild.

What then does the future hold for the coach? Could there be any stacked up boxes to come?

According to Roos, guiding the Swans through this evolution should categorically be Longmire’s job, if he has the energy to do it.

According to Swans chairman Andrew Pridham, Longmire “is up for the fight” and is their man.

John Longmire, wife Shelly and children Billy, Sahara, and Thomas.

Some cynical and creative thinkers are watching the slumping health of North Melbourne under Brad Scott, and Sydney’s dramatically changing circumstances, and joining the dots on whether the Kangaroos might try and tempt Longmire, one of the club’s favourite sons, back home and provide a fresh start for all.

Longmire has this season and next left on his Swans deal and when it comes to making a decision on his long-term future he says he will simply do “what’s right at the time”.

“And that’s for everyone, not just for me,” Longmire told The Saturday Telegraph.

“It’s for my family, for the footy club … Honestly, I’ll do what’s right at the time. I’m a big believer that those things tend to have a way of working themselves out.

“My eldest boy is doing year 10, my little boy is doing year 8 and my girl is just finishing year 6. They are obviously born in Sydney, surf, love the place. That’s all they’ve known for their whole lives.

“But I just have a philosophical way of looking at it. It doesn’t stop me from doing what I need to do now.

“I look at the scoreboard and we’re disappointed we haven’t won more games. But we still have some good young players coming through and (our focus is still) looking after the short, medium and long term of the footy club. I’m fully aware of that.

“What that looks like down the track, I can’t tell you from my own perspective, other than it will take care of itself.”

John Longmire replaced Paul Roos as the coach of the Swans ahead of the 2011 season.

Longmire’s life experiences make him as well-rounded as anyone in professional sport.

He learnt to drive cars and tractors aged six on the family farm, struggling to see over the steering wheel when he’d take himself to the bus stop for school.

As a player he experienced the highs of a premiership and the lows of agonising injuries which ended his career at 28.

His first job in footy was as a player agent, and he also worked in administration at the AFL Players’ Association where he’d be negotiating with the big cheese Andrew Demetriou on a weekly basis.

When Longmire first arrived in Sydney in 2002 he could not believe how much the game was shunned beyond the four walls of the SCG.

“AFL balls were confiscated at the private schools at lunch time if they were kicked. That struck me,” he said.

“I couldn’t believe it. How challenging this market is.”

Six months into his move to Sydney, head coach Rodney Eade resigned and things looked rocky.

“I got home that night and Shelley said, ‘you had a good job in Melbourne, what have you done?’

But the family soldiered on.

“It was very much a journey of ­discovery.”

Longmire get his message across to his players. Picture: AFL Media

Longmire says Roos taught him that he had to be “wedded” to playing a role in developing the game in NSW and although he doesn’t take any personal credit, he is proud of where the AFL is at in Sydney 20 years on and where it might be in another 20 years down the track.

“It’s part of our responsibility. Not that I’ve played in a specific role in it but to actually see that difference … where AFL is played now at almost every school,” said Longmire, who believes the achievements of local Sydney talents Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh have been “underrated” in the skyrocketing of junior participation.

“It’s still the most challenging market in world sport. And I don’t say that to make it sound dramatic. My boys have played rugby league, rugby union, AFL and I love it. It’s fantastic. I think that we must embrace that.

“What would be great in 20 years’ time? For the Swans and GWS to have more than 10 home grown players on their lists.”