- Oct 2, 2016
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I think Horse gets more from the group than he gets credit for. His Grand Final appearances should be seen as a credit to him as a coach, however they stand as a blight on his career
Coach John Longmire - Part IV has resigned
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MarkP
That guy
Blight does a lot of heavy lifting in there.
Nah, on reflection, I can say would I rather lose prelims and semis etc etc of the big dance.......sigh, the big dance.
At least I had a thrill.
I am actually, and have been for a while, dirty on the players. They owed Horse more than they gave regardless of selection decisions and all the other crap you can line up.
Nah, not a blight. Hole, disappointment, regret, oopsie. Not a blight. Just a damn shame. Literally could have been top 5 of all time.
oh well. Give me Big Cox and lets go.
Bit emotional watching this to be honest. Think the future will be a lot kinder to Horse's legacy than some are now in the shadow of a GF disappointment.
The class he's carried himself with, the way he's regenerated the list and our style over the years while remaining competitive is incredible.
The class he's carried himself with, the way he's regenerated the list and our style over the years while remaining competitive is incredible.
- Oct 2, 2016
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I'll happily take the grand final losses. Yes I want to have won but who the hell cares about a prelim final?
Never asked it to be merged
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Horse spoke well, as he always does. And it was nice to see him so emotional, if only because it reinforced his modesty and love of club.
I personally hope he goes to another club. I think he has very clear strengths and very clear weaknesses. If he can apply those strengths to a club that needs them he'd remind a few in the AFL world how good he is.
I personally hope he goes to another club. I think he has very clear strengths and very clear weaknesses. If he can apply those strengths to a club that needs them he'd remind a few in the AFL world how good he is.
A couple of takeaways from the press conference:
The funny
when asked if his new role effectively made him Cox's boss
Horse: "No, that doesn't make me Coxy's box"
The sad realisation
The fact John had indicated he was nearing the end of his career as head coach of the swans, the 2024 grand final was his chance to bookend his tenure with flags and move to a more respectable 2-3 GF record. And unfortunately the players let him down on the day. Yes, he was a piece of the puzzle, but the performance they served up was nowhere near the level it should have been at for the environment he'd cultivated for the group to be able to thrive.
I feel as though ultimately that was the final kick in the guts and it broke him.
The funny
when asked if his new role effectively made him Cox's boss
Horse: "No, that doesn't make me Coxy's box"
The sad realisation
The fact John had indicated he was nearing the end of his career as head coach of the swans, the 2024 grand final was his chance to bookend his tenure with flags and move to a more respectable 2-3 GF record. And unfortunately the players let him down on the day. Yes, he was a piece of the puzzle, but the performance they served up was nowhere near the level it should have been at for the environment he'd cultivated for the group to be able to thrive.
I feel as though ultimately that was the final kick in the guts and it broke him.
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Yep. They call it The Big Dance for a reason. A festival of footy.
Unfortunately, at The Big Dance, only one team gets a medal. As disappointing as it is, ya gotta take something from just being part of it
Just watched the whole presser. His honesty and humility shone through. As always with him. Seeing him emotional after all the years of coaching was eye opening. And I loved that right to the end he never tried to make it about him
I’ve been annoyed at times during his tenure with the way we have played. But As MarkP says above I’ve been really dirty in the players in the grand finals in 22/24. I’m not sure a coach from within can change that attitude from the players. I hope I’m wrong.
I’ve been annoyed at times during his tenure with the way we have played. But As MarkP says above I’ve been really dirty in the players in the grand finals in 22/24. I’m not sure a coach from within can change that attitude from the players. I hope I’m wrong.
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South lost in '36. The Swans wouldn't make the big dance for 61 more years.
We have been absolutely privileged to have made 7 in 20yrs.
People saying they would rather not suffer any pain than the pain of defeat aren't even trying
(Purely speculative all this) I feel Cox may bring a harder edge to things than Longmire. I have no idea about Cox as a man manager - but I'd be surprised if he is necessarily very similar to Longmire, who was always the coach with the arm around the blokes - a really wholesome approach, but I wonder if an inadvertent contributor to the players getting it so wrong on the day that matters the last few years. I think the players may need some more tough love mixed in. Maybe Cox will be in a position to be able to give that as head coach - only time will tell.
Tomorrow
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All eyes on the playing group - they are ones who let themselves down on that day. They are ones who can dig themselves out and it will be the likes of Heeney, McCartin, Warner,etc who need to step up & lead to do so. Cox can empower them to do so imo..
If the average losing margin was 10-20 points, people's opinions would shift dramatically. It's the thrashings that make the GF appearances less of an achievement than they otherwise would have been had we been competitive in one or two of those.
It’s said in politics that progressivism is the belief that things could be much better, while conservatism is the knowledge that things could be much worse.
On the Longmire question, I am a footy conservative.
- Oct 2, 2016
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We were robbed in '16 but the last 2 sting
The playing group must certainly bear a lot of responsibility for '22 ... and '24 in particular.
But from the ground at the '24 GF .... it was clear that the zone structure was coaching. It failed abysmally, as the opposition absolutely sliced it to ribbons.
So whilst I think Horse is a good coach, a terrific man-manager, a measured public speaker and a steady, stable influence at the club .... there'll always be (in my mind at least) some head-scratching failures that will continue to nag away until our next flag ... whenever that may be.
14 was the other thrashing I was referring to.
I feel as though if we were at least competitive in 2024, but got thrashed in 14 and 22, it would have been a positive for his legacy. It was just an insipid performance this year on top of 14 & 22 that capped it off.
14 was out of the blue, 22 was boys against men, 24 just encapsulated those performances into a theme.
RampeRobe
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Not sure I can watch it yet.. will be very emotional.
Couldn’t care less about horse’s GF record.
I think we’ve been so lucky to have him lead this club. Compared to the arrogance and dummy spits displayed by the majority of the other head coaches of the league.. Horse’s calmness and composure whilst straight batting the media to his own amusement was always a pleasure to watch.
It starts from the top, and he’s a massive reason why I feel we don’t have a team full of flogs, like the majority of other teams.
Hopefully Coxy can follow in your footsteps, and go one better next year.
I’ll miss ya horse xo
Couldn’t care less about horse’s GF record.
I think we’ve been so lucky to have him lead this club. Compared to the arrogance and dummy spits displayed by the majority of the other head coaches of the league.. Horse’s calmness and composure whilst straight batting the media to his own amusement was always a pleasure to watch.
It starts from the top, and he’s a massive reason why I feel we don’t have a team full of flogs, like the majority of other teams.
Hopefully Coxy can follow in your footsteps, and go one better next year.
I’ll miss ya horse xo
One down, 5 (or so) to go.
Need a clean out at the top.
Chairman, President, CEO, anyone that's been on the board for more than 10 years.
Thanks for your service, let's get some new blood in. And that doesn't mean simply promoting someone with the same mentality/mindset from within.
Need a clean out at the top.
Chairman, President, CEO, anyone that's been on the board for more than 10 years.
Thanks for your service, let's get some new blood in. And that doesn't mean simply promoting someone with the same mentality/mindset from within.
I think he probably knows that there would have been no better chance to get a flag than this year. Now you see those in the top 8 improving their teams and 2025 seems like a formality barring a big turnaround.
People on this board outlined everything that went our way before the GF and we absolutely blew it. Well, up to the playing group now.
People on this board outlined everything that went our way before the GF and we absolutely blew it. Well, up to the playing group now.
I'm intrigued to learn what are the major failings from the broader (off-field) perspective that so drive the need for a widespread cleanout?
Look, the grand final results suck. And I'd argue the response to this point has been disappointing from the messaging we've heard coming out of the club. But a big call has been made in the key role, and a change made there.
But off the field, I think it is very difficult to argue the Club has ever been in better shape. Membership numbers that even a decade ago at the height of Buddymania were still only a hope on the horizon, crowd numbers that were by and large superb this year, vastly improved training facilities for the club, and overall corporate performance that puts us right in the top group of clubs in the competition.
I'm all for regular change across an organisation - sure. But I'm not sure there is anything suggesting we need a clear-out from an off-field perspective at all.
The King!
Chosen One
Horse would be great in the media , but probably would never want to do it.
