Inside the dominoes that led to John Longmire handing Sydney’s senior coaching role to Dean Cox

The hierarchy at Sydney began canvassing a future without John Longmire as far back as 2020. SCOTT GULLAN takes you inside the key moments of the Swans’ succession plan.

It was during the toughest time of John Longmire’s Sydney coaching career that the Dean Cox succession plan was first hatched.

At the end of 2020 the Swans struggled into 16th position, one spot worse than the year before which had the club’s hierarchy understandably reviewing everything about its operations.

Moving on Longmire was never discussed but for the first time a way forward in the future without “Horse” was at least canvassed.

Former Geelong premiership captain Tom Harley had transitioned from the head of football to the CEO role at the start of 2019.

He was in charge of the big picture and one of the many conversations he had was with Cox who’d joined the Swans coaching panel at the end of 2017, at the same time as Harley’s premiership teammate Steve Johnson.

Cox and Johnson soon became good mates, both champion footballers who enjoyed life on and off the field.

Incoming Swans coach Dean Cox with outgoing Swans coach John Longmire. Picture: Getty Images

The former West Coast ruckman had impressed everyone at the Swans, including his mate Johnson who was a big supporter of Cox’s wish to become a senior coach down the track.

And he had the ear of the CEO.

There were others who voiced a similar opinion and given Sydney had been down this road before with Longmire the beneficiary of a succession plan taking over from Paul Roos, it was an easier sell than it might be elsewhere.

But no-one was in a rush, in particular Longmire.

He was zeroed in on getting the Swans back to the top so who was going to replace him wasn’t something he was ready to embrace.

Two years later Sydney were back in the Grand Final where they suffered a humiliating 81-point loss to Geelong — Longmire’s third loss in the decider, following on from a shock loss to the Western Bulldogs in 2016 and a 63-point loss to Hawthorn in 2014.

Understandably that defeat hurt Longmire and at the start of 2023 he took the first steps towards embracing a succession plan.

When he signed a two-year extension in March 2023, Longmire, Harley and chairman Andrew Pridham knew it would be his last contract as senior coach.

That came into more focus midway through this year when the trio sat down for one of their regular catch-ups and Longmire dropped a bombshell. Despite the team flying, he was thinking about the end.

He was tired — this was his 22nd season in a coaching role at the Swans — and the idea of rest and regeneration was pushing its way into his thinking.

Longmire . (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

“I had been wrestling with the decision about whether I would coach on for 2025 since about midway through last season,” Longmire revealed on Tuesday.

“The team was travelling really well — in fact this year as good as we ever have. However, even during this year with the team’s superb on-field form and our football department working really well in support, I felt in myself that my time as coach of the club was coming towards a close.

“After such a long time coaching, the week in, week out, really does start to wear on you.”

The goal posts were already changing around Cox with the inevitable sacking of West Coast coach Adam Simpson in July meaning the former Eagles premiership hero was the logical No.1 target for his old club.

Immediately Harley and football boss Leon Cameron went full-court press on Cox and while there were no guarantees, the senior assistant coach knew if he stayed the big chair was his in the near future.

He’d already been brought more into the tent with Longmire getting him to run the pre-season training program and also have a chair in draft and trade planning meetings.

Brains trust ready to roll 👑 #Bloods#AFLDraftpic.twitter.com/ANwwzzqVSJ

— Sydney Swans (@sydneyswans) November 20, 2024

Cox had no plans of moving back home anyway, his young family was happy in Sydney so a bit more waiting wasn’t going to bother him.

“It isn’t a point of discussion. Horse (John Longmire) and I have a great relationship, and we are both really clear on the roles we have,” Cox said in July.

“He’s been a great mentor for me and I’m extremely lucky to be learning off one of the best coaches in the competition. I’m more than happy to continue to be an assistant coach for however long that may be.

“I am aspirational about my coaching career, however I think right now this is the best place to continue my coaching journey.”

As the finals approached Longmire started to change his mind again, thinking he might get through to the end of 2025 but the devastation of another grand final flogging against Brisbane changed everything.

Longmire says he didn’t know what his future was coming into the grand final but after a trip to the UK in recent weeks on one of his regular fact-finding missions with other major sports, things became a lot clearer.

When he returned he called Pridham and Harley to arrange a lunch where he told them he was done.

They already had a Plan B in place to keep Longmire at the club with the new role of Executive Director – Club Performance coming to life.

Last Tuesday Cox was informed he would be Sydney’s new senior coach.

He then travelled to Melbourne the following day to be the Swans face at the national draft which raised eyebrows even though not every senior coach was present.

On Monday the rest of the football world started to catch on when news broke of a “major announcement” at Sydney the following day.

Then at 1.30pm on Tuesday inside the new training facility which Longmire loves and had the phrase ‘Take the Baton’ placed above the entrance, he handed over his to Cox — a move four years in the making.