‘Extreme act’ Swans coach regrets not doing amid Goodes booing
Former Sydney coach John Longmire regrets not doing more to support champion player Adam Goodes during the final years of his career where the dual Brownlow Medallist was booed relentlessly by fans around the country.
The 2012 premiership coach, in his autobiography: “Pain, Perspective and Premierships – My Autobiography”, went as far as saying the club should have staged a walk off during a game to send the message that they would no longer stand for what was happening.
Adam Goodes and John Longmire after the 2012 grand final. nna\zgates
Goodes, one of the game’s all-time greats, has barely been seen in the AFL world since retiring in 2015, largely due to the confronting nature of his final years in the sport.
“The relentless booing wore him down, particularly in 2015,” Longmire wrote.
“After our round eight game against Hawthorn at the MCG, when the booing became incessant, I spoke with our media manager, considering our options. Adam walked past the office and I caught his attention and asked him what he would like us to do.
“He said the only place he felt safe was inside the four walls of the football club, as there he could focus on his job and not be distracted by what was going on outside the club.
“It became a massive story – not only in the AFL but in the wider community too. Everyone was talking about it. It was impossible to escape, especially for Goodesy. We tried to keep the focus on the footy, but it just didn’t work.
“In hindsight, I should have threatened to pull our players off the ground if the booing didn’t stop. It might not have changed anything but it would have brought the matter to a head and forced the industry – and the community – to consider what this continued behaviour was doing to one of the game’s greats.
“It would have been an extreme act – but then what was happening to Adam was extreme too. Unfortunately, there were no guarantees anything would change.
“It saddens me to know that the place Adam once felt most comfortable – on the football field, showing his skills to the world – ended up being the place where he felt most uncomfortable.”
Tensions with fans began rising when Goodes called out a teenage Collingwood fan in 2013 for calling him an “ape” during a game, but it reached fever pitch after he performed an Indigenous inspired celebration after a goal in the faces of Carlton fans.
“The breaking point came after a game against West Coast in Perth, where the booing had reached a crescendo. On the Monday morning, Adam called me. He was emotional, saying he couldn’t come to a team meeting,” Longmire continued.
“Jarrad McVeigh was in my office at the time, preparing for the meeting with me. We immediately jumped in the car and drove to Adam’s place in Bondi. He was broken, drained emotionally and physically.
“We were numb initially, then I started to feel real anger, especially at those with public profiles who were so vocal about what they believed, without taking any time to understand Adam’s perspective or feelings.
“I haven’t been able to forget what those public voices said at the time, and how they convinced themselves, and so much of society, that they knew best. I won’t name them here; they know who they are. The AFL should have acted to stop the booing, but it didn’t.
“Its leaders have conceded that, and while their apology was better late than never, they missed a chance in time that they couldn’t get back. The gesture didn’t come until 2019 when the AFL and the 18 clubs apologised to Adam “unreservedly for our failures”.
The AFL’s apology to Goodes came well after his retirement from the game. He has since rejected induction into the Australian football Hall of Fame.
Goodes was named Australian of the Year in 2014, something Longmire felt only added to the booing.
