John Longmire has quit as coach of the Sydney Swans and sad details are emerging.
The football club released a statement on Tuesday morning announcing the its longest serving coach has stepped down.
Former Swans assistant coach Dean Cox has been Longmire’s chief lieutenant since he joined the club in 2017 and has now been promoted to the top job.
Code Sports first reported Longmire has been meeting with senior players to tell them of his decision before the news leaked out.
Longmire will face reporters on Tuesday afternoon with the club announcing a media conference will be held at the club’s SCG headquarters.
Sydney announced in its Tuesday statement the 53-year-old will still have a role with the club and has taken up a newly created position as executive director of club performance.
Watch every game of the NAB AFL Women’s Finals Series LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
The bombshell news has come from nowhere with Longmire still contracted until the end of the 2025 season.
SEN reporter Sam Edmund said the news had been communicated to Longmire’s ‘inner circle’ in recent days. The popular coach shocked even those close to him, with reports suggesting many of those confidantes still expected 2025 to be his final season.
Details about the circumstances leading up to Longmire’s decision emerged on Tuesday morning with football journalist Tom Morris reporting on SEN that a “falling out” with former captain Luke Parker was one of the factors involved.
Parker moved to North Melbourne during the 2024 AFL Trade Period after he requested to be traded following the 2024 grand final loss to the Lions.
The 31-year-old left the Swans as a three-time best and fairest winner with 293 games to his name.
“There was also a falling out with Luke Parker,” Morris said.
“How big this falling out with Luke Parker is depends on who you speak to. My understanding is Luke Parker left for a number of reasons and one of those reason is that him and John Longmire weren’t on the terms they had been over the course of his career.
“Clearly it was a difficult year for Luke Parker. His injuries. His suspension in the VFL and the fact that he wasn’t in the team at the start. He probably thought he was unlikely to be in the team full time in 2025 despite being contracted.
“So this falling out with Luke Parker and John Longmire may not have been symptomatic of the wider playing group, but it did play a part in Luke Parker looking around and ending up at North Melbourne via a trade.
“Regardless of that, players over the journey loved John Longmire.”
Cox’s promotion had been seen as a matter of “when” rather than “if”.
The former West Coast ruckman got tongues wagging when he knocked back an approach from the Eagles when the club began its search for a new coach earlier this year.
Cox remained loyal to the Swans despite West Coast listing him as one of its preferred candidates following the departure of Adam Simpson in the middle of the season
Longmire took over from Paul Roos in 2011 and coached the Swans in 334 matches including 194 wins.
He is the longest tenured coach in Sydney Swans history.
He said in a statement released by the club that Cox is ready to take over.
“I want to thank Andrew (chairman Andrew Pridham) and Tom (CEO Tom Harley) for allowing me the time post season to consider what the best way forward would be both for myself, and the club,” he said.
“In making the decision to move on, it is important to me that I leave the role with the club in great shape, enjoying record crowds, a world-class HQ, a wonderful playing list, an experienced coaching team, and quality football department.
“I had been wrestling with the decision about whether I would coach on for 2025 since about midway through last season.
“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 토토사이트 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. I feel that I need to step back from coaching to rest, reflect and regenerate.
“I’ve always been interested in the strategic areas of the club’s growth, and as time has gone on, I’ve felt myself being drawn more and more towards this aspect.
“After a bit more time to rest, I’m looking forward to helping the club on its path of continuous improvement both on and off the field.
“I knew Dean was ready and it just made sense to hand over. It would have been nice to finish with a flag, as I did as a player, but that wasn’t to be.
“I am genuinely excited for Dean. He will be a fantastic coach and will give the role a new lease of life and take it to another level.
“I want to especially thank Andrew, Tom, the club, and this fantastic playing group for their support.
“From the Board down, this is a special club. I am so fortunate to have spent nearly half of my life as part of this club with the stability and the professionalism it provides. We don’t take it for granted. It’s a big part of the reason the club has managed to stay so competitive year in, year out, despite the equalised nature of the competition.