Justin Longmuir crowned AFLCA's Coach of the Year | The Art of Coaching with Ken Hinkley! (23.09.26)
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Why was Justin Longmuir voted AFLCA Coach of the Year and what made his season record‑breaking?
So the fortunes were were vastly different last night as Brisbane lost a a key player and Justin Longmure was voted by his peers as the coach of the year, which felt like wonderful recognition for a record breaking season at the Dockers.
Yeah, it's fantastic recognition for JL and he thoroughly deserves it. I mean, he's been he's been put through it a little bit over his journey too. He's had some challenges himself. They feel a little a f little familiar to me in different ways, Jared, uh albeit he's made it to a grand final. But um, you know, the challenges and the battles that he's had, he look, they've had an unbelievable season. I mean, bar the last week or two when they they had clear line of sight where they were finishing. I don't think we've seen a better performance as far as the season goes with um what they've done and how they've done it. So and clearly, you know, he was really challenged last year, like losing that home final and then to be able to get his team to go, you know, run the run the run the season and finish clear top, like three games top on the ladder, is clearly an outstanding coaching performance and and rightly the coach of the year.
How did Longmuir overcome the challenges of coaching in a two‑team town like Fremantle?
So, you know, and and with Fages getting team back to a a fourth grand final. If we could have had a dead heat, I reckon we should have. I reckon that's what we should have had. We should have had nearly a dead heat because that that's a remarkable performance. History will go down and show that that's as hard a thing as anyone can ever do. Four grand finals, you know I mean Lee did it back in what was it, uh two thousand one, two, three and four and you know, it it's such a and I think Clarko did Clarko he did four in a row too, so um three wonderful coaches who have um all had it great journeys but Like JL's a a worthy winner, Fages worthy second. You know, coaching's such a hard game, Jared.
What impact does the intense passion of WA and SA footy cultures have on a coach’s strategy?
It doesn't matter probably. But I've always thought Grand final coaches surely have to be your coaches one and two of the year and I've been lucky to win it without doing that. But uh, you know, it's it's like Norm Smith Medal for me. I I believe it gotta it's gotta go to the winning team, not the losing team. So it's just some old old old uh Kenny coming at him.
Ha a couple of things uh you'd have an affinity with Long Muir Four, which you half referenced there. Just just the long journey where the doubters arrive and the your your credentials are questioned and the way that you play. And also being that the second team in town, is that's Fremantle's lot to West Coast, that's Port Adelaide's lot to Adelaide. Is those those two dynamics I think you'd admire the way that he's that he's absorbed that over seven years.
In what ways does JL’s calm leadership and list‑management shape the Dockers’ success?
Um admire, yeah, I do, because I've you know, as you said, I've pretty much lived that same scenarios and uh you know, and and that's exactly what he's done. It's it's a it's a big challenge in the two team towns and and particularly really passionate footy states. I mean that's what WAR and South Australia are. They they're really passionate football states. So, you know, you certainly know uh you do know and um JL I'm sure it'd be similar as it is to Port LA. They're slightly the little brother, I'd imagine probably More than slightly the little brother in in in WA and that's what Port Adelaide was. And you know, seventy percent of your own state tend to want you to get beaten.
Yeah.
And thirty percent only want you to win.
What are the key takeaways for Grand Final preparation as the season wraps up?
So it's you know, you you feel the joy of victory very, very much. Um, but you feel the you feel the pain of defeat worse and you when you live in those environments and you know, to recover from last year, as I keep s you know, said before, recovering from last year's loss could have been devastating and you know, and he's now done done what he's hoped to do to a point. He's uh ultimately um he'll he'll be the worthy winner if he becomes the um you know the premiership coach of the season, no doubt about it. So he's had a great year. He's had um he's really calm, JL. He he really runs a you know good ship and it clearly the his team is been built by him and his um you know his list management group and his recruiting team.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why was Justin Longmuir voted AFLCA Coach of the Year and what made his season record‑breaking?
0:00–1:00
2
How did Longmuir overcome the challenges of coaching in a two‑team town like Fremantle?
1:00–1:37
3
What impact does the intense passion of WA and SA footy cultures have on a coach’s strategy?
1:37–2:21
4
In what ways does JL’s calm leadership and list‑management shape the Dockers’ success?
2:21–2:57
5
What are the key takeaways for Grand Final preparation as the season wraps up?
2:57–3:41
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Whateley
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Justin Longmuir's key focuses for Saturday | The Art of Coaching with Ken Hinkley! (23.09.26)
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