Justin Longmuir Longmuir sets out to make Dockers great

New Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has declared he is ‘in it to win premierships’.

New Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir with his wife Melissa, son Zac and daughter Ava in Perth on Monday. Picture: AAP

Fremantle’s Justin Longmuir has vowed to make the Dockers a great club after being appointed coach for the next three years, and declares he is “in it to win premierships”.

The former Dockers forward will return to Fremantle 12 years after a degenerative knee complaint cut short his playing career at the age of 26.

Longmuir says he is excited to be working at a “passionate” club and plans to sit down with the Fremantle players when they return from leave to identify what motivates them.

He wants them to be self-driven and said he would not be the type of coach who would “hold hands”, instead putting it back on the Fremantle footballers to work hard to develop.

“You are the ones who are in control of your own destiny. The decisions that you make today will lead to the opportunities you get tomorrow,” Longmuir said.

“As a wise man once said, ‘what you get in life is earned’. Let’s get to work and make Fremantle a great club.

“I put no time limit, no cap on what we can achieve, but … I want this football club to be great for a long period of time.”

Dockers president Dale Alcock said the search for a chief executive was also coming to a close. Football manager Peter Bell has ruled himself out of that position.

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Longmuir was a highly talented player who was selected with pick two in the 1998 national draft. But he feels that he did not fulfil the faith the Dockers showed in him “as a skinny kid from the bush”, though that was due to the chronic knee complaint

He is aiming to deliver as a coach for a club that has made only one grand final, that under Ross Lyon in 2013.

After retiring as a player, Longmuir, now 38, immediately began preparing himself for this kind of opportunity, a goal he eventually realised late last week when he was told he had the job, although Fremantle opted to wait until after the grand final to announce the decision.

That preparation included lengthy stints working at both West Coast and Collingwood, clubs he described on Monday as outstanding organisations.

He said the late Phil Walsh and football legend Neale Daniher had shown great faith in him when he joined the Eagles and were mentors he would forever be grateful to. He was an assistant to Adam Simpson when West Coast made the 2015 grand final and then the backline coach at Collingwood for the past two years, which included their run to the 2018 grand final.

When Ross Lyon’s eight-year tenure at Fremantle came to an end in August, Longmuir was immediately raised as a likely prospect and edged out a field that included former teammate Dean Solomon.

“To be honest, I decided probably a long time ago (that I wanted to coach) and it is something that has always been a goal of mine since I retired,” Longmuir said.

“I am a very process-oriented guy and I have just tried to be the best that I could be at every opportunity the clubs I have been at have given me.”

Longmuir praised his wife Melissa for her support and apologised to his children Zac and Ava for “making them barrack for a third football club in 2½ years”.

He is considered an excellent communicator, tactician and teacher, though someone who is also capable of issuing guidance in a direct, straight-talking manner.

There is no doubt he is highly respected at both West Coast and Collingwood, where staff outside the football department have spoken highly of his character and demeanour.

Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh pointed to the excellence of the Magpies’ defence over the past two years as an example of his quality.

“Justin’s ability to build relationships and communicate with the players and his peers saw him have a quick impact at the club,” Walsh said.

“With his drive and commitment to further educating and bettering himself as a coach, it is no surprise that he has taken the next step in accepting a senior coach position.”

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley had previously endorsed Longmuir as an “exceptional” candidate and felt it was inevitable he would be appointed to a senior role at some stage.

Solomon, a beaten candidate, also praised the new Fremantle coach.

“The club is in very safe hands as Justin is a cracking human being and will be a very successful senior coach,” he said.