John Longmire’s decorated coaching career has taken a bizarre turn following revelations about a missing recording from the 2024 AFL Grand Final.
The former Sydney Swans coach, who stepped down at the end of that season, failed to return his coach’s audio from the Swans’ 60-point thrashing at the hands of the Brisbane Lions.
That audio was intended for the AFL’s annual Sound The Alarm documentary, which gives fans an inside look at the biggest game of the season through real-time coach recordings.
Since 2019, the series has featured mic’d-up audio from both coaches on Grand Final day, capturing pre-game addresses, coaching box exchanges and three-quarter time instructions.
But for 2024, the audio from Longmire has vanished – and according to AFL insiders, it never even made it back to the league.
Channel Seven reporter Mitch Cleary broke the story on The Agenda Setters, revealing Longmire simply never returned the SD card containing the recording.
The Sydney Swans were hammered in the 2024 AFL Grand Final by the Brisbane Lions (pictured)
Coach John Longmire was highly animated in the coach’s box as he tried to turn the thrashing around – and now the recording of what he said has gone missing
‘John Longmire was mic’d up on the day,’ Cleary said.
‘But post-game, when he handed back the equipment to the AFL, he took the SD card and, to this day, the AFL don’t have the SD card – he never gave it back.’
Cleary went on to say that Longmire tried to get the card working with his son after the game, without success.
The coach has since declined payment for his participation in the audio project, given the content was never recovered.
Though Cleary acknowledged clubs always have final say over what gets aired, the key difference here is that the AFL never got the chance to review it.
‘It’s up to the clubs and coaches to give approval,’ he said.
‘But in this case, the AFL never even received the content to begin with.’
That has left many wondering what was said inside Longmire’s coaching box during the Swans’ heavy defeat.
Longmire was supposed to hand in an SD card containing an audio recording from the coach’s box
That audio has since disappeared and Longmire has stepped down from his role as Swans coach
Longmire, known for his passionate style and infamous ‘sprays,’ has a history of giving intense feedback in the heat of battle.
Former Swans players such as Dan Hannebery, Steve Johnson and Josh Kennedy have all spoken about fierce verbal exchanges with the coach.
Kennedy has previously revealed Longmire’s scathing halftime address against Essendon, while Jordan Dawson has spoken about a stern post-game conversation that shifted the course of his career.
Cleary believes the missing audio may contain similarly fiery commentary.
‘I think there were things said in that coaches’ box on the day that shouldn’t see the light of day,’ Cleary said.
‘Some of it may have been about players, some of it just heat-of-the-moment stuff.’
Chris Fagan, who coached in the 2023 Grand Final and participated in the same series, said he understood why a coach might want to listen back to their own recordings.
Longmire’s departure from the role adds another layer to the story.
He resigned two months after the Grand Final, despite having a contract for 2025.
His coaching record remains impressive: 333 games, 208 wins, one premiership in 2012, and four losing Grand Finals, including three by massive margins.
He now serves in a performance director role at the Swans, with Dean Cox stepping up as senior coach.
