John Longmire - AFL Career

AFL Career

Longmire's physique and size earned him the nickname Horse. At North Melbourne, he formed a powerful goalkicking partnership with centre half forward Wayne Carey. In six seasons between 1990 to 1995 Carey and Longmire collectively kicked 768 goals (of which Longmire contributed 464) and 13 times they combined for 10 goals or more in a game. Individually, Longmire kicked 5-plus goals in a game 36 times, 7-plus goals 18 times and 10-plus twice, before a serious knee injury force him out of the game for the 1996 season. When he returned the following year, he played out the rest of his career in defense and in the ruck.

Longmire is best known for his performances during the 1990 season. A year in which, at only 19 years of age, he kicked 98 goals and won the Coleman Medal as the league's leading goal kicker. In round 2 of that year he kicked a North Melbourne record, 12 goals against Richmond, which he broke twelve weeks later when he kicked 14 goals in round 14 against Melbourne. Going into the final round Longmire looked certain to reach the 100 goal milestone for the season, however terribly inaccurate kicking resulted in a tally of 2 goals and 8 behinds, leaving him just 2 goals short of the milestone. Longmire went on the win North Melbourne's best and fairest that year and led the club's goal kicking list each year from 1990 to 1994.

Longmire's last career game was the 1999 Grand Final, in which the Kangaroos defeated Carlton.