Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has brushed aside claims he is being “disrespected” by the club after he changed from a fixed-term contract to an ongoing employing agreement at the end of last season.
The Dockers are considered a hot chance to win their first flag this season off the back of eight successive victories, and under the deal, both Longmuir and the club have committed to a notice period if either party decides to end the agreement.
But Longmuir said he was happy with where it sits, despite claims from Seven football analyst Kane Cornes on the AFL’s First Up podcast that the coach deserved better.
“People have that take because they don’t really understand it,” Longmuir told ABC Radio.
“I think it would be disrespectful if the club went out and explained it and it would be disrespectful if I went out and explained the benefits in it for me. But there are benefits in it for me over the traditional contract.
“I have said it a lot but I have a good relationship with (head of football) Joe Brierty, I have a good relationship with Simon (CEO, Simon Garlick) and our president Chris (Sutherland).
“I don’t feel disrespected one bit by the type of contract that I am on.”
Longmuir was appointed coach of Fremantle in 2019, signed a two-year extension in December 2021, added another 12 months in March 2024, before he transitioned to the ongoing employment agreement in February of last season.
Cornes said it was time for the club to put the coach on a long-term deal.
“Reward this guy for a long period of success,” he said.
“What a boost it would be for his players who love him if they were to announce in the next two to three weeks we have committed to our coach, he’s our guy, here is a three-year contract extension.
“What a boost that would be for the second half of the year for him, for his family, for the players who love him, for the supporters, for the whole of the footy club.
“Forget the on staff rubbish, get him off staff, give him a proper contract … I think he has done enough.”
At the time of the announcement of the change from a fixed-term to employment agreement, which came into effect at the end of last season, Longmuir said he felt more secure in his job despite it having no long-term guarantees.
“My last contract had an end date. This has no end date,” Longmuir said in February 2025.
“it still has the same clauses in it and termination clauses but it doesn’t have an end date. So for me, it gives me more security which ticks one of the boxes.
“I feel like it’s behind me. I feel like I have something in concrete and I can move forward.
“For my purposes and my job, this fits as well as I could have hoped.”
Garlick said the new arrangement included performance bonuses but if the team doesn’t perform to expectations, Longmuir’s job will be under pressure and he would receive a short-term payout if sacked.
Garlick said that payout would be the same figure he’d have received by signing a longer contract.
“The vast majority of fixed-term contracts in place have a notice period that the club and coach have agreed. In that sense there is no difference,” Garlick said.
Former Carlton coach Brendon Bolton started his career with an employment agreement and later moved to a fixed term contract, but was sacked midway through that deal.
Longmuir said the deal suited him and he was enjoying life as Dockers coach.
“There is plenty of fun in my life at the moment. I am loving coming into work every day and am loving coaching this group, so let it continue,” Longmuir said.
Part of that “fun”, was watching his Dockers dismantle top-four team Hawthorn in the final quarter of Thursday night’s clash at Optus Stadium, including the crowd-hysteria inducing Wharfie Time message flashed on the scoreboard.
Longmuir said the messaging and crowd noise had the capacity to “spook” the opposition.
“It doesn’t necessarily give our players a lift because I think they are already getting a rise out of the crowd anyway,” he said.
“But I think it could spook the opposition and some opposition players.
“Probably the first time we rolled it out, was when we were storming home against Collingwood three years ago.
“At that time we did it in play, which was something a little bit different. We are not allowed to do that now. I felt it that night.
“I think we were playing the right sort of style the other night, but they way we were playing it probably would have happened without Wharfie Time.
“It is a great initiative, something different, and I think it would probably spook the opposition when it does come on given the situation that they find themselves in anyway.”