Why John Longmire thinks Mark McVeigh is ready to be a senior coach

August 14, 2026 — 2:43pm

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Coaching great John Longmire has given Mark McVeigh his endorsement to become a senior coach, saying the Essendon candidate is as ready as he will ever be.

McVeigh is considered the favourite to beat Bombers great James Hird for the top job at The Hangar, but as a Swans assistant is in the unusual position this Sunday of coaching against his potential new employer.

A 232-game player for the Bombers, McVeigh spent seven years coaching at Greater Western Sydney, including a 13-game stint as caretaker in 2022 after Leon Cameron’s departure. He joined the Swans as their academy coach in 2023 and was Longmire’s backline coach in 2024.

Longmire says this wide range of experience has McVeigh well-placed to become a senior coach, though he warned untried coaches never know what the job is like until they are in the hot seat.

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“He’s been involved at the coalface of the AFL industry for a long time, so he’s very experienced,” Longmire said at the launch of his autobiography Pain, Perspective & Premierships at the Swans’ Victorian base in South Melbourne on Friday.

“I thought I was experienced [taking the reins at Sydney in 2011], you never really know until you’re in the chair. He’s been in the chair, albeit as an interim coach. So he knows a bit about what the caper’s like.

“It is a bit different when you become the full-time coach, but he’s as experienced as there is in the industry. So certainly, as far as preparation, he’d be ready.”

Longmire was impressed with what he saw from McVeigh in their time together at the Swans.

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“He knows football, he knows what makes good football teams, and you know he’s good at expressing that. He’s good at running meetings, he has strong beliefs about the game and how the game should be played.

“Being able to then apply it is a new test, a new challenge. We all might know what makes good football teams, but then you have to actually do it and apply it and do it and put it in action when you’ve got other things coming at you from left field.

“That’s the thing you never know until you’re in the chair.”

Longmire, who last coached in 2024, has not ruled out a return to the coach’s box but is enjoying his role as the Swans’ executive director of club performance, where he works with senior figures in other industries.

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“I don’t know,” Longmire said when asked if he would like to coach again. “I was absolutely certain when I stood down and needed to step off and just reflect and reset, and do something different. And I’m glad I did.

“I feel very certain that was the right thing to do. And so I’ve enjoyed doing that. There’s other things in life, and there’s other interests, and I’m doing a bit of stuff that’s still connected deeply to the football club, so I’ve still got a deep connection there.

“I’ve still got a great interest in the game. I love footy but also have other things that are going on at the moment that are interesting. So I’m enjoying that.”

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Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Age.Connect via X or email.

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