TOP JOB FOR LONGMUIR
INJURY robbed Justin Longmuir of the chance to repay Fremantle as a player, but he hopes he can make up for that by delivering the Dockers an AFL premiership as a coach.
Longmuir was unveiled as Fremantle’s new head coach yesterday on a three-year deal.
The 38-year-old, who replaces the sacked Ross Lyon, was chosen ahead of Gold Coast assistant Dean Solomon and WA Under 18s coach Peter Sumich.
Longmuir has spent 10 years building his coaching apprenticeship, most notably at West Coast (2011-17) and more recently Collingwood (2018-19). He earned rave reviews for the way he moulded Collingwood’s defence last year.
Longmuir said he was honoured to be coaching the club where his playing career began in 1999. And he feels like he has some unfinished business at the Dockers after having to retire at the age of 26 because of a degenerative knee injury.
“The Fremantle football club gave me an opportunity as a player 21 years ago. They put a lot of faith in a skinny kid from the country and drafted me,” said Longmuir, the No. 2 pick from the 1998 national draft.
“I personally don’t feel like I fulfilled that faith they showed. So to get another opportunity to fulfil that faith is really exciting.”
Fremantle have missed the finals for four straight years, and Longmuir didn’t want to promise finals football in 2020.
But he has promised to do everything he can to help Fremantle achieve sustained success, and he hopes that includes flags.
“I’m in it to win premierships,” Longmuir said. “Every club is in it to achieve the ultimate success. But I won’t do that by giving up sustained success.
“I want this footy club to be great for a long period of time. Everything we do over the next trade period, over the next preseason, over the next season, will be aimed at building this club to be great for a long period of time.
“I put no time limit, no cap on what we can achieve (next year).”
Longmuir played 139 games for Fremantle between 1999 and 2007. His most famous moment came in 2005, when he took a big pack mark and then kicked truly from 30m after the final siren to help Fremantle beat St Kilda by five points in Round 21.
Longmuir thanked the late Phil Walsh and Neale Daniher for helping nurture him during his early coaching days as an assistant.