John Longmire: Pain, Perspective and Premierships by John Longmire

John Longmire coached the Sydney Swans for fourteen years, and before that he was a goalkicker good enough to win a Coleman Medal at twenty. This is his autobiography, with a foreword by Lance Franklin.

Longmire grew up in the bush around Corowa and came through North Melbourne's strong sides of the 1990s, winning a premiership in 1999 after two knee reconstructions nearly ended him. He moved into coaching, helped end Sydney's long premiership drought as an assistant under Paul Roos, then took over and led the Swans to the 2012 flag and four more Grand Finals.

He writes about the wins and the losses, and about what he learned along the way: leadership, culture, building a team, and handling the pressure that comes with the job. There is plenty here on the players he coached, among them Adam Goodes, Lance Franklin and Isaac Heeney.

An AFL autobiography for Swans and Roos supporters, and for anyone interested in what makes a modern coach tick. A good one for Father's Day.