Working from home has become the new norm for many Australians as we continue to work through the challenges presented by COVID-19, and with the AFL season postponed until at least May 31, AFL coaches are among those learning how to adapt.

For Sydney Swans coach John Longmire working from home has meant lots of conversations, as he works to keep the Swans football department and its 46 players connected. 

Speaking to Radio Sport National on Monday, Longmire said delivering a training program remotely has its challenges, but his primary concern is the wellbeing of his team.

“You need to be flexible and adaptable in this current environment, you need to be safe first, but then you need to be flexible and adaptable so that when the green light goes you are ready to go,” Longmire told RSN. 

“The difficulty is that no one really knows, there’s no end point to this. It will get assessed again at the end of this month and hopefully we’ll get some good news.

“To be able to keep the players in a training mode but without tipping them over the top so that they burn out, but also making sure that they’re ready to go if required, it’s a balancing act that we need to get right.”

It remains unclear when the season will resume or what it will look like. The AFL is committed to delivering another 144 games plus finals this year, but “rounds” as we know them could be compressed.

To help minimise the physical impact of playing games within a condensed period, Longmire is advocating for increased rotations and an increase in the number of players on the bench.

Just as uncertain is what football clubs, and football departments, will look like in the future. While he knows it won’t look the same, Longmire said he’s hopeful the AFL will remain a world leader when it comes to player health and wellbeing.

“Football departments these days are about more than analytics and football – it’s about the care and support of your playing group, you need everyone across your footy department to be able to play a role in that,” he said.

Longmire was speaking to RSN to mark a special occasion in AFL history. It was on this day 30 years ago, 6 April 1990, that John Longmire kicked 12 goals for the Kangaroos in North Melbourne’s 141-point win over Richmond at the MCG, making him the youngest player in VFL/AFL history to kick more than 10 goals in a game.