AS THE Sydney Swans plot the demise of North Melbourne at the SCG on Sunday, a casual observer could be forgiven for mistaking a coaches’ meeting for a reunion of the 1999 North Melbourne premiership team.

Coaching co-ordinator John Longmire, assistant coach John Blakey and development coach Brett Allison all played in the North team that accounted for Carlton a decade ago but their allegiance now lies firmly with the Swans.

But the North connection doesn’t stop at the club’s football department.

The manager of the club’s TeamSWANS community liaison program, Craig Holden, played 29 games with the Kangaroos in the early 1980s.

Other former North players to have passed through the SCG include former assistant coach Peter Jonas and former football manager and CEO Colin Seery.

Longmire said Seery and former Swans coach Rodney Eade, who was an assistant at Arden Street under Denis Pagan, had been influential in luring the Kangaroos alumni north.

“There was no plan – it has just worked out that way. Rodney Eade coached at North Melbourne in the ’90s so a number of us knew him from there,” he said.

“Through those connections, there’s some sort of pathway by which a few of us headed up the highway and ended up in Sydney. It’s been terrific.”

Longmire said his strong bond with Allison and Blakey made it easier for the trio to communicate honestly but he conceded there were times when old habits died hard.

“We’ve got to try to stamp out a little bit of sarcasm that ends up filtering into the conversation at times, so that’s been a challenge for us,” he said.

“We know each other really well. We’re quite happy to challenge each other, knowing that nothing’s taken personally because you’ve had a strong relationship for a long period of time.”

Like the powerful Hawthorn teams of the 1980s, the North Melbourne sides of the 1990s have produced more than their fair share of coaching talent.

Darren Crocker is currently caretaker coach of the Kangaroos, having replaced another North premiership player in Dean Laidley. Anthony Rock also works at Arden Street as an assistant under Crocker.

Further afield, Alastair Clarkson is a premiership coach at Hawthorn; David King is an assistant coach at Richmond and Jason McCartney was recently appointed as the AIS/AFL’s high performance coach.

Longmire said the influence of long-time North mentor Denis Pagan could not be underestimated.

“We were fortunate to play in an era where we made seven preliminary finals in a row, along with three grand finals and a couple of flags,” he said.

“[Denis] was very much about certain types of people that he wanted to have and to help form. He’s been a powerful influence on a number of us that have continued on in footy, because of the way that he went about his business and his constant striving for perfection.”

While Longmire said his time at North Melbourne was formative, his experience with the Swans has broadened his knowledge of the ingredients needed for long-term success.

A strong administration and board prepared to adopt a strategic, long-term view was a pre-requisite, he said, together with a tactically adept coach able to motivate players.

“Finally, the playing group themselves – when you’re a part of a club that plays regular finals football, you see the expectations and how they drive each other to such high levels,” he said.

“The confidence in the group – how they go about it, how they prepare, how they pride themselves on never giving up; that’s a feeling that builds up in good teams.”

Longmire still keeps in regular contact with many of his former teammates but he laughed off the suggestion that the ranks of Arden Street graduates at the Swans could expand even further.

“Not at the moment. There’s three of us here who have played a lot of footy together but there are still some really good friends at North Melbourne,” he said.

“Our circumstances mean that you don’t spend a lot of time in each others’ pockets these days. Naturally living in different states, it’s hard to catch up so that tends to drift a little bit but you still speak to each other.”