![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ddb439a35602544b713c38672523d9b13febc6cda49bcf2dcf93af2f2438157f.png\")
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August 14, 2026 \u2014 2:43pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n McVeigh is considered the favourite to beat Bombers great James Hird for the top job at The Hangar, <\/a>but as a Swans assistant is in the unusual position this Sunday of coaching against his potential new employer.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s departure. He joined the Swans as their academy coach in 2023 and was Longmire\u2019s backline coach in 2024.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been involved at the coalface of the AFL industry for a long time, so he\u2019s very experienced,\u201d Longmire said at the launch of his autobiography Pain, Perspective & Premierships at the Swans\u2019 Victorian base in South Melbourne on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was experienced [taking the reins at Sydney in 2011], you never really know until you\u2019re in the chair. He\u2019s been in the chair, albeit as an interim coach. So he knows a bit about what the caper\u2019s like.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a bit different when you become the full-time coach, but he\u2019s as experienced as there is in the industry. So certainly, as far as preparation, he\u2019d be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Longmire was impressed with what he saw from McVeigh in their time together at the Swans.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows football, he knows what makes good football teams, and you know he\u2019s good at expressing that. He\u2019s good at running meetings, he has strong beliefs about the game and how the game should be played.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing 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\u2019ve got other things coming at you from left field.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the thing you never know until you\u2019re in the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n Longmire, who last coached in 2024, has not ruled out a return to the coach\u2019s box but is enjoying his role as the Swans\u2019 executive director of club performance, where he works with senior figures in other industries.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Longmire said when asked if he would like to coach again. \u201cI was absolutely certain when I stood down and needed to step off and just reflect and reset, and do something different. And I\u2019m glad I did.<\/p>\n Related Article \u201cI feel very certain that was the right thing to do. And so I\u2019ve enjoyed doing that. There\u2019s other things in life, and there\u2019s other interests, and I\u2019m doing a bit of stuff that\u2019s still connected deeply to the football club, so I\u2019ve still got a deep connection there.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve 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\u2019m enjoying that.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c89cc0260d4a6ead57667be121674642f05a395c.jpeg\")
Mark McVeigh is seen as the favourite to win the Essendon coaching job.via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786690814_203_1214434e1c041b8cdeeaa529fb714fdcdce847d0.jpeg\")
Mark McVeigh was GWS\u2019s caretaker coach in 2022,AFL Photos<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/27fc988e6cd339df11964ee081691313b0de0073.jpeg\")
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