Fremantle Dockers president Chris Sutherland explains why coach Justin Longmuir’s success is no accident

Fremantle president Chris Sutherland has revealed he told Justin Longmuir that the board had unwavering belief in his coaching after the horror mid-season loss to St Kilda, and backed him to lift the Dockers into the finals this season. The Dockers will host Gold Coast in an elimination final next weekend after an incredible mid-season turnaround which saw them turn a 4-5 record into a 16-7 season. Longmuir was under intense pressure following a 61-point loss to the Saints in round eight, but Sutherland passed on a message from Fremantle’s board to both him and CEO Simon Garlick. “Our conversation after that St Kilda game is that we just didn’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water,” Sutherland told The West Australian. “We certainly believed in the work that had been done in the pre-season, the plans we had put in place, and our ability to get off the ground after that game and go on and deliver. So from a board point of view, our message was, we still believe in the plan. “Sure, there’s great learnings from a loss like that. But that’s what the coaches are there to do. We certainly didn’t shy away from the fact that we still felt that we had the right organisation in place and the plan to deliver a successful season. “It’s in those moments where good clubs have stability, strength, and don’t shy away from what issues need to be addressed. But it’s not personal. You don’t shoot the people. You look at ‘what’s the improvement opportunity?’” Sutherland credits Longmuir’s coaching as the key to Fremantle’s improvement this season. He praised the way the coach empowered the team’s leaders, developed the younger players and ignored external criticism to build a game plan which maximised the strengths of the Dockers’ list. He said Longmuir’s coaching had been first class, describing the stunning second half of the season as “no accident.” “I’ve observed JL first-hand for the whole year. I’ve been to every game and I’ve seen him under immense pressure. He doesn’t let emotion or outside noise get in the way of making the right decisions and communicating them in an impactful way to his coaching team and players,” Sutherland said. “I think he is tactically very astute. I think his connection with his players can’t be faulted. It’s no accident that players like Patrick Voss or Murphy Reid are having an impact in games. That is the art of coaching. And JL, along with his assistants, I think, have done an outstanding job. “It’s no accident that we’ve won a number of games coming from behind and I think we’ve defended small leads a lot better this year as well. “I do know that over the pre-season they trained quite a few scenarios and a lot of nuances. Again, that’s the art of good coaching, and that’s why I think JL is a very good coach. We’ve seen the benefit of all that. These things don’t happen by accident.” The Dockers produced a shock at the start of the year when they announced Longmuir would be moving from a fixed-term contract to being a member of staff at the end of the season. While it drew criticism, Sutherland revealed other clubs expressed support for the decision after it was signed. “After we announced that new employment contract, both Simon and I received texts from officials from other clubs congratulating us on doing it this way, saying they’ve thought about doing it that way for a number of years. I’m glad we did it,” he said. Now Longmuir’s challenge is to lift the Dockers from sixth place on the ladder to a historic premiership. It is a goal which the club publicly set when it released a 2021-2025 strategic plan four years ago, and one that Sutherland declared Fremantle was ready to achieve in February at the season launch. Sutherland’s belief that the Dockers can win the premiership this season has never wavered. “It was very clear, from certainly the board point of view, that we do have expectations, and we ought to lean into it and not shy away from it. So I said it with some belief,” he said. “I believed in both our coaches. I believe in the culture that was set around the club. I think it’s just a great place where people come and work every day, and players can certainly be their best self. “I believe in the standards that we set, and I believe in the plans that we’ve got as a club as a whole, and certainly the plans within the football programs, both our men and women. “So I thought I could say that with some confidence that we’ve got the foundations right. It doesn’t mean that you’re ultimately successful each year, but we continue to build our list, improve our football programs and, as we’ve said before, we’re after sustained success. As it stands right now, we give ourselves a good opportunity this year to compete for a cup right now. “I think it’s important to be positive and to believe in your people and your plans. I think the proof is in the pudding to some degree, but we start a new season right now. “I think this season has shown that any of the eight can win it. It’s four games to go. Can we win four straight? I think we can, but we’re obviously just focused on Saturday against Gold Coast at this stage.”