Football great Kane Cornes has offered his verdict on Sydney Swans coach John Longmire’s decision to leave his position at the club.
The 53-year-old opted to shorten his tenure as Swans boss by one year, ending a distinguished 13-year spell as the club’s head coach, with Longmire initially arriving at the club in 2002 as an assistant.
Despite leading the Swans to a premiership in 2012, Longmire was unable to repeat the feat in subsequent years, leading his team to three Grand Finals, in 2014, 2016, 2022 and the last in 2023, but no he could win another flag. .
Following the drubbing against Brisbane in last season’s Grand Final, Cornes believes his lack of premierships had begun to weigh heavily on the former North Melbourne forward, claiming their relationship at the club “seemed strained” .
“To me it seemed like he was a bit worn out and I’m not sure if the relationship had been a bit strained, he was clearly nervous with the consequences of the last two grand final defeats clearly weighing on him,” Cornes told Channel. Seven news.
He is set to be succeeded by Dean Cox, who appeared to take command of Sydney’s war room during last week’s national draft, with Longmire notably absent.
“With Dean Cox set to leave… although the timing is not perfect, I think it is the best move for the club and for John,” Cornes added.
John Longmire has resigned from his position as Sydney head coach following the Swans’ AFL Grand Final thrashing by Brisbane.
Kane Cornes claimed Longmire “seemed exhausted” and added that it was the “best decision” for the 53-year-old to step down.
“Like I said, the relationship seemed a little strained, so having Dean come in with a fresh voice, maybe more of a modern perspective, might connect with the players in a different way than John and they might get some results from that.” .’
But considering his stature in the game, Longmire is unlikely to be out of action for long, with Cornes adding: “I think it’s really good for John Longmire.”
“There are a number of coaches under pressure heading into this year. Within 12 months there will be a job available for him and he will be the most sought-after coach waiting.”
Afterwards, Cornes noted that there were several coaches in the league who could be in danger of being replaced by Longmire.
“Michael Voss is under pressure, we know Matthew Nicks is under pressure, Ken Hinkley, although Josh Carr will take control there. Who knows what will happen in Fremantle.
“John Longmire will be able to choose from any of those clubs and if not, he will be Tassie’s first coach.
“I would appoint him tomorrow if I were running a club, simply because of the program he runs and having a coach and a football club that you compete for every year.
“I think it’s perfect for him to take a year off. I don’t know if he wants to train again, but if he does, there will be several clubs that will answer the phone.”
Dean Cox (left) will succeed Longmire (right) as the club’s new senior coach, with Cox apparently already overseeing the Swans’ draft.
Longmire gave an emotional interview announcing his decision to reporters on Tuesday.
Longmire appeared in front of the media on Tuesday, where he gave an emotional speech, speaking to reporters about his decision to part ways with the Swans.
“In making the decision to move forward, it is important for me to leave my role at the club in excellent shape, enjoying record crowds, a world-class venue, a wonderful roster of players, an experienced coaching team and a football department of quality, Longmire said in a statement.
“I had been struggling with the decision of whether I would continue training for 2025 since the middle of last season.
“After so much time training, week after week, it really starts to wear on you. I feel like I need to stop training to rest, reflect and regenerate.
‘I knew Dean was ready and it made sense to hand him over. “It would have been nice to finish with a flag, like I did as a player, but it wasn’t like that.”