Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has strongly responded to criticism directed towards him from North Melbourne great and footy analyst David King.
King has repeatedly criticised Longmuir and his position as coach at the Dockers and said the coach is ‘under the most pressure in the AFL’ on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
Nathan Buckley also criticised Fremantle after their loss to Sydney on the weekend, which has left the Western Australian team just outside the top eight.
In his pre-match press conference before Freo’s match against Hawthorn, Longmuir said the criticism from King was uneducated.
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“To be honest, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what I’ve done to David King, I’d be a rich man and I’d probably be in the Bahamas, guts up rather than doing this job,” Longmuir said.
“In the end, everyone needs to understand that it’s just David’s opinion. We’re a game based on opinion, and that’s his opinion.”
“That’s enough said about it really. I don’t want to be disrespectful towards anyone, but I don’t think David has put together a game plan, put together a list, or put together a culture.
Longmuir stated he is trying to improve the team and doesn’t read about what people think about his coaching of the Dockers.
“I don’t get caught up in it because I’m always looking forward and looking to how I can improve my coaching and improve the way we’re playing,” he said.
“We’re trying to live by the mantra of living in the moment. I know people get caught up in it and some people around me get caught up in it, but really I’m just focused on the opinions of the people I trust around this club and doing the best I can.”
The pressure will continue to be on Longmuir, who is on a rolling contract, the only AFL coach to currently be on this type of contract.