Dean Cox says Sydney aims to re-sign Chad Warner as soon as possible.
KEEPING explosive midfielder Chad Warner at Sydney beyond next season is new coach Dean Cox’s “top priority”.
While Cox has forecast only “little tweaks” to his predecessor John Longmire’s coaching systems, he says enticing Warner to sign a fresh contract is paramount.
The West Australian-born midfielder has already been courted by Perth clubs ahead of coming out of contract at the end of 2025.
“For us, it’s about trying to make sure that Chad is as happy as he possibly can be, which he is,” Cox told SEN on Wednesday.
“We’ll speak to Chad throughout the process to make sure that hopefully (we) can get it done as soon as possible.
“Chad is at the top of our priorities now.
“He’s an amazing footballer, one I’ve got a really strong relationship with, he is really enjoying his time in Sydney.
“That’s the role of our footy club and myself now; to try and make sure we can get Chad locked away as quickly as possible and create the environment he wants to be a part of going forward.”
The Swans had routinely denied a succession plan had been in place to replace Longmire with his long-time assistant Cox, who has signed a four-year deal to take over.
But Cox had always been privy to Longmire’s plans to resign at the end of either the 2024 or 2025 season – aspirations held by Longmire for 18 months but only revealed publicly at Tuesday’s press conference.
“We’ve sort of stayed in constant dialogue all the way through. The possibility arose and I’m really excited about it,” Cox said.
An assistant to Longmire since 2017, Cox had long been tipped as a senior coach in waiting and most recently repelled advances from former club West Coast to replace Adam Simpson.
The 2006 premiership player was the Eagles’ ruck coach for three years after his retirement in 2014.
Cox said he would not have quit that job and relocated his young family to Sydney had he not felt the move would one day lead to a senior coaching opportunity.
The Swans’ transition to Cox comes 14 years after Longmire replaced outgoing premiership coach Paul Roos following his own apprenticeship as an assistant.
The Swans have remained almost perennially successful since Roos took charge in 2002, making finals in 19 of 23 seasons, and Cox paid homage to that stability in eluding to his plans for next season.
“One thing that I’m extremely proud of this organisation, is the sustainability of performing to the highest level,” he said.
“Our players produced some amazing football this year and that’s something that we’re extremely proud of. There’ll be some little tweaks that I do differently from John but overall, it’s a well-run footy program.
“It has been for a long time and we’ll make sure that we give the players the best chance that they can continually perform.”
