The sudden departure of Sydney premiership coach John Longmire came as a surprise to the AFL industry, but almost everyone successfully assumed Dean Cox would be the man elected to succeed him in the Harbour City.

Cox, who fetched interest from West Coast this year as they began searching for their own new senior coach, has been an integral part of the Swans' continued premiership contention under Longmire over the past half-decade.

The passing of the baton sees Sydney's most recent coaching change follow the succession plan that gave Longmire his place in the hot seat, having taken the lead for the Bloods ahead of the 2011 season after a successful stint for Paul Roos, who Longmire had worked under for nine years.

The Swans will only hope Cox reaches the same heights his two predecessors did, with the club's steady succession planning often the envy of their counterparts.

Looking across the AFL, all 17 other sides might have senior coaching candidates in waiting, whether that vision is with their current clubs or elsewhere.

Longmire's future was of great intrigue ahead of the new year given his expiring contract, but it's hard to go past Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley as the man surrounded by the most noise.

A large factor in the constant interest in Hinkley's future at Alberton is the presence of top-rated assistant Josh Carr, who many see as the man to coach the Power from 2026 onwards.

Carr had been linked to the senior coaching role last year before Hinkley's tenure was extended until the end of 2025, which now looms as a likely window for Port Adelaide to see out the changing of the guard.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 18: Ollie Wines of the Power talks to Josh Carr, Midfield Coach of the Power during the 2023 AFL Round 01 match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Brisbane Lions at Adelaide Oval on March 18, 2023 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos)

While Carr's coaching future could be rubber-stamped, other clubs could be looking to do the same by grooming their next line of coaches to plan for the long haul.

Across town, pressure may mount on Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks in 2025 despite his contract extension in March. The Crows might not look to an untried option should they need to replace him, but they won't be short of in-house names if they do.

Assistants Scott Burns and Nathan van Berlo have each continued to develop their coaching crafts, with the former stepping into the mentoring game in 2008 after his retirement.

Strongly backed GWS assistant Brett Montgomery has seen his stocks rise since working under Adam Kingsley and was even linked to the recently vacant Eagles role, while reports suggested he could land at West Lakes as early as this off-season.

Given Kingsley's strong start to life as a senior coach with the Giants, Montgomery would be expected to wait a while before getting a chance to succeed his premiership teammate, with options elsewhere more suited.

Montgomery's name was part of a long list of targets for West Coast this year, with their coaching hunt ending with Andrew McQualter following his promising stints with Richmond and Melbourne.

On top of Cox, Montgomery and caretaker coach Jarrad Schofield, the Eagles had expressed an interest in Collingwood's Hayden Skipworth and Geelong's Steven King.

Former West Coast players in Carlton's Ash Hansen and Fremantle's Jaymie Graham decided against pursuing the role.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 24: Ashley Hansen, Senior Assistant Coach of the Blues addresses his players during the 2022 AFL Round 02 match between the Western Bulldogs and the Carlton Blues at Marvel Stadium on March 24, 2022 In Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Both coaches have been viewed as top-line options for clubs needing new senior figures in the past and could be the next in the queue, but their current clubs aren't likely to be on the lookout just yet.

Dockers coach Justin Longmuir will enter 2025 off-contract and face greater expectations, but it might be assistant Joel Corey who has the better chance of any higher role over Graham.

Voss earned a new contract in February this year that will take him through to the end of 2026.

The aforementioned Skipworth might also need to look elsewhere if he is keen for a top role at AFL level, with Craig McRae having arguably the best job security in the competition.

Cats coach Chris Scott could rival McRae and Brisbane's Chris Fagan for that title, while the two-time premiership coach isn't short of options to potentially succeed him should Geelong follow the Swans' strategies.

King and fellow assistant James Rahily are both primed to take the next step in their coaching careers, with club great James Kelly another to show promise since moving into an off-field role.

Another Cats champion in Corey Enright could be the long-term replacement for Ross Lyon at St Kilda, who are also home to former Collingwood caretaker and club icon Robert Harvey.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 21: Lenny Hayes, Corey Enright and Brendon Goddard the assistant coaches of the Saints run drills during a St Kilda Saints AFL training session at RSEA Park on November 21, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Essendon have Daniel Giansiracusa and Dale Tapping waiting in the wings under Brad Scott, while the young Ben Jacobs has been a positive addition in recent years.

Gold Coast's Shaun Grigg, Hawthorn trio David Hale, Adrian Hickmott and Kade Simpson, and Melbourne pair Nathan Bassett and Troy Chaplin might all be part of the next wave of coaches in the competition.

Brisbane's Cameron Bruce, North Melbourne's Xavier Clarke and the Western Bulldogs' Brendon Lade are worthy of similar backing.

The Bulldogs are another club that will have a decision to make next year, with Luke Beveridge's contract coming to an end. Having Lade on hand is a great benefit for the club, while football operations boss Matthew Egan is another key figure at the Kennel.

Despite appointing Adem Yze to the top job just over a year ago, Richmond aren't short on emerging coaching candidates, with former Tigers Chris Newman, Steve Morris and Jake Batchelor taking on new responsibilities over the past 12 months, with the latter moving from St Kilda in recent months.

The Tigers also welcomed back assistant Blake Caracella, who is one of the more experienced names across the league.