Coach of the Year: Why Longmuir Might Get Pipped at the Post

Righto, let’s get into it, because this one’s been bugging me all week. Justin Longmuir has had himself an absolute cracker of a season down at Freo, no argument there from me, but I reckon when the votes get counted for the AFL’s coach of the year gong, he might just miss out to a bloke who’s flown a fair bit under the radar all year.

Now before the purple army starts sending me angry emails, hear me out. This isn’t a Freo hate piece. This is just your honest, slightly biased but mostly fair West Coast bloke calling it how he sees it from over here in the west.

Longmuir’s Been Terrific, No Doubt

Let’s give credit where it’s due first. Longmuir has taken a Fremantle list that’s had its fair share of disappointments over the years and turned them into genuine contenders. The way they’ve defended as a unit, the way the midfield brigade has stepped up, the way they’ve found a way to win the close ones — that’s proper coaching. He’s earned every bit of the praise coming his way.

But here’s the thing about these end of season coaching gongs. They’re not always about who’s had the best win-loss record. Sometimes they’re about who’s done the most with the least, who’s dragged a battling list further than anyone reasonably expected, and who’s had to do it with half his best players either injured or traded out from under him.

Enter Michael King

And that’s where I reckon Michael King comes into it. He’s had a season that, when you actually sit back and look at the ladder movement, the injury toll, and the fact he’s basically had to coach with one hand tied behind his back at times, deserves some serious consideration. The bloke’s had blokes going down left, right and centre and still found a way to keep his side competitive week in, week out.

It’s the classic story that gets overlooked because it’s not happening in a big media market. You ask any footy person and they’ll tell you the coach of the year isn’t always the premiership favourite’s coach — sometimes it’s the bloke who’s kept a rebuilding list punching well above its weight all season, week after week, without the fanfare.

The East-Coast Microphone Problem

And look, I’ll say what a lot of us over here in the west are thinking — the eastern states media loves a good narrative, and Fremantle’s historic season makes for a ripper story. Purple reign, the finals drought ending, all that stuff. It writes itself. Meanwhile a genuinely brilliant coaching job gets done quietly and nobody outside the footy nerds even notices.

We’ve seen it before. WA clubs cop it on travel all season, we fly more kays than anyone else in the comp, and then when it comes time to hand out the gongs, it’s like the judges forget we exist unless someone’s literally about to win the flag. I’m not saying it’s some grand conspiracy, but you’d have to admit it raises an eyebrow or two.

What The Judges Should Actually Be Looking At

If you strip it right back, coach of the year should come down to a few simple things:

• How much better is the team playing than its list quality suggests it should?
• How have they handled adversity — injuries, suspensions, off-field noise?
• Have they got more out of role players and the fringe blokes than anyone expected?
• Is there clear evidence of game-style improvement or tactical smarts week to week?

On all those measures, King stacks up right alongside Longmuir, and in a couple of them I reckon he actually edges in front. Longmuir’s had a talented, settled list rolling with him. King’s had to duct-tape his soruce of a list together most weeks and still find four quarters of consistent footy.

Not Knocking Freo, Just Being Honest

Now I can already hear the Dockers faithful cracking it, saying I’m just a bitter Eagles fan trying to rain on their parade. Fair enough, we haven’t exactly had the best decade over here at West Coast, so maybe there’s a sliver of that in me somewhere. But genuinely, if you ask me straight, I think this is a legitimate two-horse race and it wouldn’t shock me one bit if King snuck through and grabbed the gong.

It happens more often than people think. Remember when the flag winning coach doesn’t even get a look in because some bloke down the other end of the ladder did more with less? The AFL coaches association voters aren’t silly, they know footy, and they know that ladder position doesn’t always tell the full story of who’s actually coached the house down.

What It Would Mean If King Gets Up

If King does end up snaring it, it’ll be a nice reminder that this award isn’t just handed to whoever’s team is riding the media wave hardest in September. It’d be a genuine credit to a coach who’s had to be creative, patient and downright stubborn to keep his group in the fight all year.

And for Longmuir, missing out wouldn’t take a scrap away from what’s been a genuinely historic season for Fremantle. Finals footy, a changed culture, a fanbase buzzing again — that’s a premiership coach in the making if he keeps it up. But coach of the year isn’t always about who’s top of the ladder, it’s about who’s done the most with what they’ve got.

The Bottom Line

So there it is. I reckon it’s closer than most of the pundits are letting on, and don’t be shocked if King’s name gets read out instead of Longmuir’s when the votes are tallied. Either way, it’s a good problem for the game to have — two coaches who’ve genuinely earned the conversation, rather than it being a foregone conclusion handed to whoever’s premiership favourite.

Just don’t expect the eastern states commentary boxes to be talking about it much before the envelope’s actually opened. Over here in the west, we’ll be watching closely either way.