john longmire has spoken with the Tasmania Devils about their coaching search, but he stopped well short of backing himself as the club’s inaugural coach. The former Sydney premiership coach said it was too early to run with headlines suggesting he is “all-in” on the job.
Longmire and Tasmania
Longmire said on Wednesday night that he had been “among many people in the industry” who spoke with Tasmania CEO Brendon Gale a couple of weeks ago. He added that Gale had spoken to “a number of people” and that his own contact with the Devils was no surprise.
“I think everyone knows that, so I don’t think it’s a great surprise I was one of them,” Longmire said. He also said there were plans to resume talks with Gale and the Devils, but added, “There’s no point in speculating on what may happen down the track.”
Brendon Gale’s shortlist
The 55-year-old left Sydney at the end of 2024 and has already been linked with other openings, but the Tasmania role is now the clearest public coaching link. The Devils are preparing for the AFL’s 19th club to enter the competition in 2028, and the early interview process is beginning to surface the names that matter most.
Longmire’s comments cut across a report that he was “very keen” and “all-in” on the job. He said that was too far ahead of where things stood, telling viewers, “It’s not at that point, as far as I’m concerned or Tassie are concerned.”
Ken Hinkley and Nathan Buckley have also been linked to the Tasmania role, while Devils board member Alastair Lynch declined to back any one candidate. “No I can’t (confirm that). But it does seem like a very popular topic at the moment. There’s a new favourite that pops up every couple of months,” Lynch said.
For Tasmania, the immediate read is simple: the club is now openly in conversation with a premiership coach who is not closing the door, but who is also not committing. That leaves the Devils with a live coaching race and a growing list of high-profile names as they move deeper into building the case for their first coach.
