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Lyon and Watson disagree on John Longmire's decision and future
Nic Negrepontis • November 29th, 2024 11:05 am
Garry Lyon has admitted he was surprised by John Longmire’s decision to step down as Sydney coach, saying he imagined the club would put in place a 12-month succession plan, rather than the immediate transition to Dean Cox.
The Swans did this previously with their handover from Paul Roos to Longmire back in 2010 and 2011.
“I was surprised. I did think if there was going to be an announcement that it would be John Longmire and Sydney announcing that 2025 would be he his last year and there would be a hand over to Dean Cox,” Lyon told SEN Breakfast.
“I think listening to John’s press conference, I think it’s great. I think it’s great for the club and it’s great for Johnny.
“He needs a break. 14 years in the job? I’m sure he thought he’d go away, have a break and return hungry and refreshed for the job and it didn’t happen this time.
“And he was brave enough and honest enough to say no.”
Tim Watson however understands just how exhausting a senior coaching position can be and empathises with Longmire’s decision to step out of the role.
“I wasn’t surprised at all when the news broke earlier in the week that he had decided to give it away,” Watson said.
“He had been thinking about it for a while, that’s all been revealed now.
“That job. Being a head coach. I was only in that job two unsuccessful years, but it is exhausting. I take my hat off to anyone who stays in a position with that much pressure for a decade and retain any form of sanity whatsoever.
“He looked like a man who needed a break. The pressure is with you even at this time of the year. It gnaws away at you the whole time.”
The AFL greats disagree as to whether Longmire will return to the coaching ranks, but both are confident he has a long future ahead of him in the sport.
“I think he’ll coach again. I think he’ll freshen up within six weeks or six months or a year or two years and he’ll go again,” Lyon said.
However, Watson disagreed, saying: “I don’t think he will.
“I think there’s a strong possibility, he loves the football environment and the recruiting side of things, I can see him being associated with an AFL club.
“I think he’d be a great appointment for the Tasmanian team in regards to the whole building of a footy club.”
