"There's no question he's at the very pointy end of elite," Pridham says. "You can't judge somebody on six weeks or even a year." As reported this week by the Herald, the Swans will start talks with their longtime coach later this year to extend his contract beyond 2020. This would take Longmire's time at the club to more than 10 years. While some in football circles believe a new voice may be required in Sydney, Pridham and the Swans hierarchy do not. Their reasoning is simple. They have a very good coach with a track record of success so why change? "My view would be he'd coach as long as he wants to and is enthusiastic about it," Pridham says.

Loading "You'd be hard pressed to find a better senior coach with the record he's got. Nothing goes forever but if you look at world sport a lot of very successful clubs in world sport have a coach for a very long period of time. The trick is to refresh other aspects of program. "You don't have a fantastic CEO and say he's been there X years and say he should go. If they're really good you want them to stay." Pridham refers to US great Gregg Popovich, who has been at the helm of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs since 1996, winning five titles. Popovich is one of the coaches Longmire admires and the Spurs are one of the clubs he has visited in off-seasons as part of his coaching education.

Like the Swans, the Spurs have been at or near the top for a long period of time despite equalisation measures. "Any coach who can do it for a stretch, you look at method, how and why they've done it," Longmire says. "They've changed and evolved and tweaked things. That's also a common theme for a nine-year coach." Cheer, cheer: John Longmire coached the Swans to a flag in his second season in 2012. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo Several of his assistants - Dean Cox (first season 2018), Steve Johnson (2018), Tadhg Kennelly (2019) - are recent additions, which brings new voices.

The message is changing as well. Longmire will remain faithful to the hard-nosed, contested style that was the Swans' trademark but accepts "you have to evolve philosophy as well". "How you go about it changes according to the strengths of your players," Longmire says. "Whilst we keep evolving every year and make changes, if you look at the best teams they still compete hard, win ground and contested ball - basic things are important." There is more to coaching than tactics, as the celebrated people-first approaches of Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley have shown, but it's worth remembering Longmire has been one of the drivers of raising awareness for mental health in the game. In 2013, he told the AFL Commission five members of his 2012 premiership team had battled mental illness during the finals. Mitch Morton recounted to the Herald in 2016 how Longmire, knowing how "highly strung" the player was, had told him he was in the grand final team before the match committee meeting so he would not spend the week worrying.

Swans players say the door to Longmire's office is always open. Inside is a couch for players to come in and have a chat. Loading "As a player all you want to know is what the senior coach is thinking about you, with everything," veteran Jarrad McVeigh says. "If they've got an open door and you can have open conversations about where you're at. To be able to have that conversation and be honest and trust where you sit as a player, what you need to improve, or if you're going well, it really sets your mind at ease." As a former captain and senior player, McVeigh has had many a heated conversation with Longmire but grudges are never held such is the strength of their relationship.

When McVeigh and his wife Clementine lost their baby Luella in 2011, Longmire was there for the family - at their home, at hospital. "When the coach drives over and knocks on the door to talk to you, you know there's a really good person, a very trustworthy man let alone coach," McVeigh says. "Whatever I needed or the family needed he was there to help out. "That's not so much a coach but someone who cares about other people. I'm just one of a number of people that that stuff happens [to]. Those types of things don't go unnoticed." Nine seasons in, Longmire does not sound or look like a man who is checking out. His vigorous celebration of Luke Parker's goal last week from the bench was a marked departure from the norm.