THE COACHING journeys of Dean Cox and Justin Longmuir have been intertwined for more than a decade as the former on-field rivals turned coaching colleagues prepare to square off in the most anticipated game of the season. 

The initial rivalry between Cox and Longmuir stretches back to their playing careers, facing each other in 12 Western Derbies between 2001 and 2007 as stars of their respective WA teams. 

But Longmuir's move into coaching at West Coast in 2011 saw the former Fremantle star link up with the champion ruckman for the first time under senior coach John Worsfold. 

Cox moved into coaching himself in 2014, serving as the Eagles' ruck coach in the final year of his decorated 290-game playing career before becoming stoppages coach, with both men part of Adam Simpson's panel from 2014-17. 

They each departed the Eagles at the same time, seeking new challenges at Collingwood for Longmuir and Sydney for Cox at the end of 2017 in moves that set up their futures as senior coaches. 

The pair have remained in regular contact as senior coaches and are now at the top of their game in a battle between No.1 and No.2 on the ladder, adding a sub-plot to Thursday night's blockbuster at Optus Stadium. 

"The good part about Justin is he was a bit more experienced than me, so he gave me a lot of his knowledge on how to handle situations," Cox said on Wednesday, reflecting on his early days as an assistant coach.  

"I was playing, and then I coached with him for a few years before he went to Collingwood, and then I went to Sydney at the same time (but) we've stayed in contact throughout that.

"We haven't seen each other for a little bit, but we were able to spend some time at the start of the year together through the State of Origin.

"I've just been really impressed with Fremantle and the way they go about it. He's doing a great job."

Cox said he and Longmuir had made each other better as coaches at West Coast, with the Eagles playing finals in each of their three years together as full-time assistants and losing the 2015 Grand Final. 

He described the Dockers boss as a process orientated coach and said that was reflected in the brand being played by the 14-2 ladder leaders. 

"He's very strong in where he wants to get to and how he gets his players there, and he's doing well." 

Many of Longmuir's coaching philosophies were shaped while working at West Coast alongside the late Phil Walsh, who was a strategy and innovation coach under Worsfold and a generous teacher. 

He imparted on Longmuir the importance of team defence, with the Fremantle coach joking this week about his struggles to get Cox to buy into that part of the game late in his career. 

"I wasn't his ruck coach, but I tried to get him to defend as a forward a few times, which was pretty hard," Longmuir laughed. 

"But I've enjoyed working with him in those two situations and enjoyed coaching against him. 

"I think in some ways we play a pretty similar brand footy to Sydney and it's going to be a good head-to-head match-up."

Sydney won both clashes between the teams last season, beating the Dockers in a three-point thriller in round two at Optus Stadium before an 11-point win at the SCG later in the year. 

The Dockers are a different team in 2026, but some of Cox's major weapons remain, including tagger James Jordon and in-form midfielder Chad Warner, who collected six Brownlow Medal votes from the two games last year. 

"He likes throwing things around," Longmuir said when asked about coaching against Cox. 

"He doesn't mind moving the magnets, looking at the way that they've played this year, and he's tried different things across the course of the season, so we probably expect the same this week. 

"He's a good relationship builder and really good at the technical side of the game."

Part of the attraction for Longmuir to join the WA Origin program earlier this year was the chance to work alongside Cox again, and while they lost that match against Victoria, they have proved to be the standout coaches in 2026. 

"We're probably both lucky to be in a position to coach two great football clubs," Cox said. 

"My position is I love my time where I am, I love the footy club, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."