Swans coach John Longmire says Dean Cox is happy in Sydney, provides Justin McInerney update

Dean Cox is considered the favourite to replace Adam Simpson as coach of the Eagles. Swans coach John Longmire discusses the future of his assistant plus gives an update on a star’s injury.

John Longmire says everyone at the Swans is firmly focused on season 2024. Picture: Getty Images

Swans assistant coach Dean Cox has yet to express any formal interest with the club about taking up the vacant coaching position at the West Coast Eagles.

Considered the favourite to take over from Adam Simpson in the hot seat, Cox has been a part of the Swans’ coaching staff since 2017 and is heavily tipped to be the man they want to eventually take over from John Longmire.

However, Sydney is yet to formalise a clear succession plan for Longmire who is now 14 season into his head coaching career. The former North Melbourne premiership winner is off-contract at the end of 2025 but hasn’t given any indication either way of if he would want to continue beyond that date.

Quizzed about Cox’s future on Tuesday, Longmire confirmed that while his senior assistant is happy in Sydney, it’s important to think about how they can set the club up for long-term success.

Dean Cox remains comfortable at the Swans and is yet to formally flag any interest with the West Coast position. Picture: Brett Costello

“First and foremost, we don’t get dictated by what other clubs do or what’s going on in other clubs,” Longmire said when asked if it would accelerate discussions around a succession plan.

“It’s great that Dean is invested in us. He’s a quality coach, he has been and continues to be a very important staff member for us.

“I’m sure if those conversations (with West Coast) happen at some stage, he’d come and talk to us. But he’s completely focused on us and we’re more than comfortable where it sits.

“I’ve always been about making sure that we build a strong, sustainable footy club here, and that’s on and off the field. It’s important that we build a competitive team that stays around the mark for as long as we can … I’ve been fortunate enough to play a small role in that over the journey.

“I’m really mindful and comfortable and enjoy working with these players. We’ve got a great young group, they’re enthused, they’re terrific to work with and we’ve been putting this team together for a few years.”

Longmire and Cox’s main priority is Sunday’s game against the Lions. The match is set to be one of the Swans’ toughest of the year as the ladder leaders travel to the Gabba and take on a side that has won its past six matches.

The Swans will be without the versatile Justin McInerney for the fixture who is likely to miss at least the next three games with a PCL injury.

McInerney is set to be out for a minimum of two weeks, but likely longer. Picture: Brett Costello

“He’ll be in a brace for a couple of weeks and we’ll see how he goes from there,” Longmire said. “PCLs can be a bit unpredictable, so we’re not sure what that means.

“Hopefully it’s not a long time because he’s such a valuable player for us. He’s not easy to replace because he has played as many positions as I can remember a player doing so far in a season – whether it’s forward, inside-mid, wing, or back.

“His footy this year has been fantastic. It’s really been at a high level and it gives us great flexibility. So we just have our fingers crossed for a couple of weeks time and get a bit of a better idea then.”

Luke Parker has recovered well from his first senior footy of the year in his eye-catching two-goal cameo as a sub against North Melbourne.

However, the Swans may opt to be a bit more cautious with captain Callum Mills who pulled up sore from his first match in more than 300 days with the option available to make him the sub against the Lions.

Mills had a successful return against the Kangaroos but is set to be managed through the back half of the season. Picture: Brett Costello

“Millsy pulled up a little bit stiff from his first game,” Longmire said. “We’re hoping by the end of this week he’s a little bit better and feels pretty good, but we also don’t want to take any risks.

“If we hadn’t lost Justin McInerney on the weekend, we would probably have subbed Callum off before three-quarter time. Because we lost Justin earlier in the game, we didn’t have that flexibility.

“We’re mindful of making sure that we want him fit and firing, consistent for the rest of the year and what that looks like will involve training, but also involve playing, and we’ll see how the coming weeks progress that way.

“We’re pretty keen to keep our group together. But we won’t take any risks with any of our players. This week against Brisbane in Brisbane, they’re a fantastic team, last year’s grand finalists and we want to go up and give our best account of ourselves, and we need our best players playing.”

Originally published as Swans coach John Longmire says Dean Cox is happy in Sydney, provides Justin McInerney update