John Longmire’s hunger for success “purveys through every vein in his body”, he travels the globe learning from the world’s best coaches and, when his players are looking, he loves winding back the clock to thread a goal at training.

Those are the tributes pouring in for Longmire ahead of the milestone man’s record-breaking game.

The 2012 premiership coach will surpass Paul Roos as the most-capped coach in Swans history as Sydney meets the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday afternoon.

And while the man Sydney supporters see in the coaches’ box can be animated to say the least, there’s much more to the boy from Corowa than meets the eye. 

Just ask star Sydney defender Nick Smith, who’s played 182 of his 211 career games under the man known as ‘Horse’.

The Sydney mentor, who booted 511 career goals in North Melbourne colours, has always enjoyed a chance to remind Smith and his teammates of his extraordinary goal-kicking ability.

But Smith says tricks at training are just the start of Longmire’s jovial self at heart.

“He likes being out at training and going back and kicking a goal. I still reckon he likes that and he certainly hasn’t lost that from his playing days,” Smith told Swans Media.

“If you just watch game day and you see ‘Horse’, you’d think he’s pretty stressed out in the box – and it is a stressful situation. But he’s a really good guy, he cares about people, we’ve had guys with mental illness and he’s always at the absolute forefront of that and actually really cares. I think that’s the reason why you want to play for him; he actually cares about you as a person. Obviously footy is super-important, but the support he gives us as players is something I’ve been very thankful for.”

Sydney Swans coach John Longmire sharing a laugh with his players at the 2014 club photo day.

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham sees a striking resemblance between Longmire the player and Longmire the coach.

Longmire was drafted by North Melbourne at the age of 17, before going on to play 200 games in blue and white in the years spanning 1988-1999.

He still stands as the youngest player in VFL/AFL history to have won a Coleman Medal, a feat he achieved when he kicked 98 goals in 1990, and he won a premiership in 1999 in the final game of his career.

Pridham said success had followed Longmire from the moment he arrived at North Melbourne.

“The thing to understand about John, if we’re going back to his playing days, is he’s someone who’s always experienced success in his life,” Pridham told Swans Media.

“His desire to continue having success is something that purveys through every vein in his body. He understands the hard work necessary for success. It’s not luck and it’s not just skill; it’s hard work that’s necessary for success and that shows in everything he does.

“It very clearly shows during the football season, but he doesn’t sit still in the off-season either. He travels far and wide meeting with world-leading coaches all over the world.

“He’s just so unbelievably driven to succeed, and although I spend a lot of time with him at the Board table, it’s outside the Board room that you see the interesting side of John. It’s after a great win or a bad loss that you see his tense, competitive spirit, and he’s clearly very driven for success.” 

Roos coached the Swans in 202 games between 2002 and 2010, before Longmire took charge ahead of season 2011.

Longmire joined Sydney’s coaching panel ahead of season 2002, and he’s led the Swans to the finals in every one of his years as head coach.

Longmire will coach the Swans for the 203^rd time in Saturday’s clash with the Lions, with Roos (202 games), Rodney Eade (152), Ian Stewart (111) and Charlie Pannam (108) rounding out the top five most-capped coaches in the club's history.

Longmire’s predecessor, 2005 premiership coach Roos, was full of praise for his former assistant ahead of the milestone match.

“He’s just so diligent, so committed and so professional,” Roos told Swans Media.

“The main thing that comes to mind about John is his professionalism, his commitment, that he leaves no stone unturned and making sure everything he does is at 100 per cent. He’s enormous for the footy club in what he’s done and continues to do.”

And the words of Longmire? 

“'Roosy' was and still is such an important mentor of mine. I wouldn’t be doing this job without him. I’m very appreciative of the guidance, help and assistance he’s provided me over such a long period of time. He’s been such a quality person to learn the craft under, I’m very appreciative of that and I’m very proud of the milestone.”