Fremantle Dockers coach Justin Longmuir and CEO Simon Garlick explain move from fixed contract to employee

Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir says he feels more secure in his job after changing from a fixed-term contract to an ongoing employment agreement despite it having no long-term guarantees.

Longmuir’s contract with Fremantle will finish at the end of this season and, just as he did last year, he negotiated his own new deal with the club before round one.

Longmuir will become a full-time staff member at the end of the 2025 season. Under the deal, both he and the club have committed to a notice period if either party decides to end the agreement. Chief executive Simon Garlick said Longmuir’s future would still be decided by his performance.

Now entering his sixth season as Fremantle coach, Longmuir said the new arrangement made him feel more secure despite not having a clear tenure.

“My last contract had an end date. This has no end date,” he said.

“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.”

The Dockers have only played finals once since Longmuir took over from Ross Lyon at the start of the 2020 season. They were in third spot with four games remaining last season but lost those matches and fell to 10th spot.

Fremantle have set a high bar for this season, openly talking about their desire to win the premiership and referencing their Strategic Plan which included winning a flag by 2025.

Garlick said the new arrangement included performance bonuses if Longmuir is successful.

But if the team doesn’t perform to expectations, Longmuir’s job will be under pressure. 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.

“Regardless of the contract type, whether it is a fixed term agreement or an ongoing employment arrangement that we have settled on, we are in a performance based industry. Clearly performance, along with a whole host of factors, is a critical element of determining decisions that are made in any football club.

“From that perspective, we understand we are always going to be measured on our performance. That’s not just Justin- it’s the entire club.

“There’s no difference to that if we were sitting here announcing Justin has a three-year fixed term agreement extension or the ongoing employment agreement we have arrived on.”

The Dockers aren’t the first club to sign a coach to this type of agreement. But other clubs haven’t enjoyed success under these arrangements. 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.

Garlick admitted the club’s decision was unique but said it was a display of confidence in Longmuir’s ability and that it suits both parties.

“Our belief in Justin is incredibly strong,” he said.

“Not just in Justin but in the coaching group that he and Joe have worked hard to assemble. To an incredibly professional and capable football staff group and importantly a playing cohort that has been assembled over an extended period that we think has an opportunity to enter into a period of contention and success.

“We believe this contract change is one that better reflects the contemporary AFL landscape and is more suitable to our club, our coach and our football department at this time. We also understand it is a bit different.”

Longmuir’s decision to handle his own negotiations is also unique in the AFL coaching world.

But he said the way the deal was struck is a sign of how strong the relationships are at Fremantle.

“It probably highlights the relationship I have with (footy boss) Joe (Brierty), Garlo and (president) Chris (Sutherland). We can get together and talk about all things- not just my contract.

“We talk about all things footy related and club related and have that conversations that get us results. I think that’s a sign of the respect I have for them and they have for me.”

The Dockers will now prepare to play Melbourne in Mandurah on Sunday. Longmuir said small forward Sam Switkowski was recovering well from the concussion he suffered against the Indigenous All Stars and is on track to play.

He said the game would be vital for their readiness to play Geelong in round one.

“This week is a full dress rehearsal for us. It is round zero for us. Geelong play Brisbane in round zero in preparation for round one. We play Melbourne in round zero in preparation for round one,” he said.