Former Roos CEO reveals John Longmire almost coached North Melbourne before landing at Sydney
Updated . First published
North Melbourne's destiny could have been very different back at the end of the 2009 season, as their search for a new coach began.
And according to former Roos CEO Eugene Arocca, Sydney's John Longmire was the man they had their eyes on.
"We approached Horse Longmire," Rocca told KangaTV.
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"He pulled out at the last moment, because clearly, he had another pathway to go."
It left the Roos with two choices. Damien Hardwick, who would go on to coach Richmond and then Gold Coast, or Scott.
John Longmire during his 2024 post grand final press conference. Getty
"We had a sub committee and I was on the sub committee. To be honest, it came down to him and Damien Hardwick," Arocca said.
"They were really peas in a pod in regards to their presentation. Both very impressive, forward thinking. They had analysed our list."
But it was one key attribute that helped Scott stand out to Arocca.
"There were a couple of moments where we interviewed Brad (Scott) about his journey, where there was just that touch with members of the committee, that we felt an alliance with him, emotionally," he said.
"This is an emotional club.
"Brad brought to that interview, a little bit more emotion.
"We thought, 'this bloke is going to die in the trenches for us."
Meantime, Longmire, who played 200 games in the blue and white at Arden Street, was already destined for another path.
Scott headed up the Roos for nearly 10 years. Getty
That path was Sydney, where he was named as coach at the start of the 2011, after being announced as the replacement for 2005 premiership winning leader Paul Roos.
Longmire would go on to lead the Swans side to a premiership in 2012, his second season at the helm.
During his tenure at Sydney, Longmire went on to lead his side to four more grand finals, although all resulted in losses.
Nonetheless, Sydney continued as a powerhouse of the league, with an enviable Blood culture and a prolific footballing program.
John Longmire coached the Swans to a flag in 2012. Getty
On the other end of the scale, North Melbourne stuck fat with Scott, who would guide them from 2010 to 2019.
It came after Dani Laidley resigned as the Roos head coach in the middle of the 2009 season.
That decision to appoint Scott is one Rocca looks back on fondly.
"Brad turned out to be a really important part of our journey over about 10 years, from a spokesperson point of view, a coaching point of view," Arocca said.
Former North Melbourne senior coaches Brad Scott and Dani Laidley speak during a club event in 2021. Getty
"We needed a coach that was young, forward thinking and believed in the organisation ... but also had that passion."
The Kangaroos went on to feature in the 2014 finals series and reached a preliminary final under Scott, which they lost the Sydney.
They featured again in a 2015 preliminary final and would play finals four times under Scott.
