Few decisions will shape the future of the Tasmania Devils more than the appointment of the club’s inaugural senior coach.
When Tasmania officially enters the AFL, the club will carry the hopes and expectations of an entire state that has spent decades fighting for its place at the national level. The Devils will not simply be launching a football team. They will be establishing a football culture, building a brand, developing pathways and creating an identity that could define Tasmanian football for generations.
It is a decision that cannot be made based on popularity, media attention or name recognition alone.
Recent speculation has linked several high-profile figures to the role, including Nathan Buckley and John Longmire. Both are respected football minds with impressive credentials, but when examining what Tasmania truly needs during its formative years, the argument becomes increasingly clear.
The Tasmania Devils should appoint John Longmire as their inaugural coach.
This is not a criticism of Buckley, who remains one of the most influential football figures of the modern era. His football knowledge is unquestioned, and his work at Collingwood deserves recognition. However, the challenge facing Tasmania requires a specific type of leader. It requires someone with proven experience building and sustaining a successful football program over an extended period.
Longmire’s career demonstrates exactly that.
For more than a decade, Longmire was the driving force behind one of the AFL’s most respected organisations at the Sydney Swans. During his tenure, Sydney became the benchmark for consistency, professionalism and culture. While other clubs experienced dramatic rises and falls, the Swans remained competitive year after year.
That level of sustained success is rare in modern football.
AFL history is filled with coaches who enjoyed brief periods of achievement before struggling to maintain standards. Longmire’s greatest accomplishment was not winning games or reaching grand finals. It was creating an environment where success became an expectation rather than an occasional achievement.
That is precisely what Tasmania needs.
The Devils will enter the competition facing unique challenges that no established AFL club currently experiences. They will need to build an entire football department from scratch. They will need to recruit players, coaches and support staff while simultaneously establishing a connection with supporters across the state.
The club will be under a microscope from day one.
Every decision will be scrutinised. Every loss will attract headlines. Every recruiting move will be analysed by fans and media alike.
An expansion club requires a coach capable of handling those pressures while maintaining a long-term focus.
Longmire has spent years navigating intense expectations in Sydney and has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to remain calm and composed in high-pressure environments. His leadership style is measured, professional and team-focused.
Those qualities are invaluable when building a football club from the ground up.
One of the strongest arguments in Longmire’s favour is his ability to create culture.
Football clubs often speak about culture as though it is a buzzword, but the reality is that culture remains one of the most important factors in determining long-term success. Strong cultures survive personnel changes. They survive losing streaks. They survive difficult periods because the foundations remain intact.
The Sydney Swans became renowned for their culture under Longmire’s leadership. Players understood expectations. Standards were clear. Accountability was non-negotiable.
Tasmania will need that same level of clarity from the moment its first players walk through the door.
The inaugural coach will set those standards.
Every future coach, player and administrator will inherit the environment established during those early years. That is why this appointment is arguably more significant than any recruiting decision the club will make.
Longmire has already proven he can build and maintain an elite football culture.
The same cannot yet be said to the same extent about Buckley.
Another key consideration is player development.
The Tasmania Devils are unlikely to become immediate premiership contenders. Like every expansion club before them, they will rely heavily on youth. Draft concessions, academy prospects and developing players will form the backbone of the club’s early years.
The ability to identify, nurture and develop young talent will therefore be essential.
Throughout his coaching career, Longmire consistently oversaw the emergence of talented young players who developed into elite AFL footballers. Sydney rarely relied solely on recruiting established stars. Instead, the club built much of its success through player development and strategic list management.
Tasmania’s long-term future will depend on adopting a similar approach.
The Devils cannot simply buy success.
They must build it.
Longmire’s track record suggests he understands that better than almost anyone in the game.
Recruitment will also be a major challenge.
Despite Tasmania’s passionate football culture, convincing established AFL players to relocate remains an unknown factor. Some players will embrace the opportunity. Others may need additional persuasion.
This is where Longmire’s reputation becomes particularly valuable.
Across the football industry, Longmire commands enormous respect. Players know what he has achieved. They understand the standards he sets and the environments he creates.
Having a figure of his stature leading the football program would immediately enhance Tasmania’s credibility.
Potential recruits would see a coach with a proven record of success rather than an untested expansion project.
That matters.
Expansion clubs must sell a vision before they can sell results. Longmire’s appointment would strengthen that vision significantly.
There is also the matter of stability.
History has shown that expansion clubs often experience turbulence during their early years. Expectations can become unrealistic, pressure can mount quickly and poor short-term results can create calls for dramatic change.
The inaugural coach must be capable of resisting that pressure.
Longmire’s coaching career has been defined by patience and stability. Rather than chasing quick fixes, he has consistently focused on long-term development.
That mindset aligns perfectly with Tasmania’s likely objectives.
The Devils should not be measuring success solely by wins and losses during their first few seasons. Success should be measured by cultural development, player growth, supporter engagement and organisational stability.
Longmire’s philosophy appears ideally suited to those priorities.
None of this diminishes Nathan Buckley’s credentials.
Buckley remains one of football’s most intelligent and articulate figures. He understands the modern game, has experience coaching at a major Victorian club and would undoubtedly bring passion and commitment to the role. There is a strong case for his involvement with the Tasmania Devils in some capacity.
However, when comparing the two candidates specifically as inaugural senior coach, Longmire’s extensive experience building and sustaining a successful football program gives him a clear advantage.
This appointment is not about who generates the biggest headlines.
It is about who gives Tasmania the strongest foundation for the future.
The Devils have waited decades for this opportunity. Supporters have campaigned, lobbied and dreamed of an AFL team carrying the Tasmanian name. Now that dream is becoming reality.
The club cannot afford to approach its first coaching appointment with anything less than a long-term perspective.
John Longmire represents stability. He represents professionalism. He represents sustained success.
Most importantly, he represents the type of leadership required to guide an expansion club through the most important years of its existence.
When Tasmania enters the AFL, it will need more than a coach.
It will need a builder, a mentor, a culture-setter and a leader.
John Longmire has already proven he can be all four.
That is why he should be the Tasmania Devils’ inaugural coach.
You can find more from Dave on his own substack, It’s a Dave Thing.
