AFL 2023: John Longmire signs contract extension to remain Sydney coach

One of the AFL’S longest-serving coaches is set to extend his tenure to at least 15 years after inking a deal to keep him out of the clutches of rival clubs.

Tom de Koning has had an uninterrupted summer. Picture: Jonathan DiMaggio

Sydney has lauded John Longmire’s relentless quest for improvement and rock-solid relationships with players after handing him a two-year contract extension.

News Corp can exclusively reveal Longmire’s new contract will take him to 15 seasons as senior coach.

That Kevin Sheedy-esque tenure at Sydney through to 2025 means Longmire will break the 300-game milestone this year in extending a deal that was to expire at the end of this season.

Longmire joined the Swans in 2002 as an assistant coach under Paul Roos.

Talks over the summer on a new deal have ramped up in recent weeks and now ensure rival clubs cannot drag him out of Sydney.

John Longmire shakes hands with Chris Scott before last year’s Grand Final. Picture: Mark Stewart

In 2019 North Melbourne offered their 1999 premiership player a deal of up to $6 million which he rebuffed but the early extension gives everyone at Sydney clarity about his future.

Swans chief executive Tom Harley said his capacity to evolve and improve meant there was never a doubt about extending the contract of the 2012 premiership coach.

“We are rapt that John wants to continue coaching the club. He started in 2002 (as an assistant coach) and will hit the 300 game mark as senior coach this year. He is a fantastic person and a fantastic coach and we are really fortunate to have him,” he said.

“One of the things I admire the most about John is he is very curious and he has a great ability to not reinvent himself but continue to evolve and be the best coach possible.

“His relationship with the players, he has got young kids himself so he’s in that world if you like. His ability to relate to the players and constantly adapt to the needs of the players is absolutely first rate and his inquisitive nature and courage to surround himself with real thought-provokers (as assistant coaches) adds to the longevity he has had.”

Longmire has proved capable of bridging the gap between the senior players including 36-year-old Lance Franklin and the teenagers that he has blooded to bring Sydney back into premiership contention.

John Longmire celebrates a win with Lance Franklin last year.

Now he will chase a second premiership to add to 2012 after grand final losses in 2014 (Hawthorn), 2016 (Western Bulldogs) and 2022 (Geelong).

“It’s a privilege to continue to be the coach of this great club. I’m lucky to have great people around me, great staff, and a fantastic young playing group,” Longmire said.

“It’s exciting to work with young players on their way through to help them learn and grow, while I’m also fortunate to work with quality leaders who take pride in passing on their own

experience.

“Everyone at our club is excited, not only about the 2023 season ahead, but about the journey we’re on and the opportunity we have before us. We’re committed to getting better every day.”

The Swans are aware injuries to Tom Hickey (calf), Peter Ladhams (tendonitis), Lance Franklin and Sam Reid (both soreness) leave them vulnerable in the early rounds of the season.

Harley said Longmire would be the steady hand at the tiller leading the club through its early challenges.

“Some summers you are blessed to have absolute gold and there are others where we are working through things with key position players as we work through things for round 1. They are the cards we are dealt at the moment and we are a developing list and our players are continually experiencing new things. We had an amazing experience (to get to the Grand Final) last year and everyone is bloody excited about the season and buoyed by the fact he will be leading the charge.”

CALL TO PAY AFL STARS UP TO $3 MILLION A SEASON

Tom De Koning’s manager says the exciting ruck-forward is finally ready to capitalise on his first injury-free summer but is in no hurry to consider a contract with the club.

Connors Sports manager Robbie D’Orazio helps represent both De Koning and his rucking partner Marc Pittonet in a year where both players come out of contract. There are players

The leading player manager made clear the AFL’s top players should be in a position to earn as much as $2-$3 million per season.

He has called on the league to find ways to reward the AFL’s megastars — whether by allowing one player to be paid outside the cap or with legal private sponsorships.

The Herald Sun revealed last year De Koning would delay talks until well into the season as he assessed rival interest and his place in the key position pecking order at Carlton.

D’Orazio confirmed on Thursday the 23-year-old was brimming with enthusiasm about the season ahead in a year where he is likely to play more ruck than key forward.

Tom De Koning is in no hurry to sign with the Blues. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“TDK loves the footy club, they have been through the hard last few five or six years,” D’Orazio told the Herald Sun.

“He has had a pre-season for the first time in a long time so I had breakfast with him this morning. He is really fit. He is going to play majority ruck. He has two gun forwards in attack so how that looks will be interesting to see and we have Marc Pittonet as well who we manage. So both are out of contract. ‘Pitto’, ‘TDK’ and Harry (McKay) and Charlie (Curnow), how that combination works will be interesting to see.

“We are in no rush and he’s not in a rush. He is just going to play footy. He is really excited because he’s done a pre-season for the first time in a while and he’s super fit.”

The AFL’s salary cap might creep up by another five per cent this year despite the AFL’s revenue exploding by $131.8 million last season.

D’Orazio said the AFL’s stars are underpaid given their contribution to the game, with only two players earning over $1.2 million last year.

“If it was up to me I would have a bigger salary cap. Hopefully the economy can get going again and we can create a bigger salary cap,” D’Orazio said at the launch of the documentary Show me the Money II.

“I am big on this. I don’t know how a million dollars is still the biggest salary in our game,” he said.

When you think about what Dustin Martin or Lance Franklin and Patrick Dangerfield do for the game, I think players at least should have an opportunity to earn more money. How that is I am not sure.

“Maybe it’s a player outside the cap or private sponsorship. I don’t know how it would look but the people who put bums on seats should be renumbered a bit better. Why can’t it be $2 million? There are players who deserve two or three million. Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver. Somehow we have got to get to that point.”