Sydney coach John Longmire has distanced himself from links to the vacant job at North Melbourne and expressed delight that his former protege and colleague Rhyce Shaw has landed an opportunity as their interim successor to Brad Scott.

The resignation of Scott could begin a round of musical chairs in AFL coaching but it is highly unlikely to involve Longmire, who has been flagged as a possible target for the Kangaroos, where he won the 1999 premiership and kicked 511 goals in 200 games for the club.

Longmire is tied to the Swans until the end of 2020 and said on Monday he was enjoying the challenge of bringing through a fresh crop of young players, who have impressed over the last three weeks with wins over Essendon and North and a narrow defeat to Collingwood on Friday night.

It wasn’t a totally comprehensive denial — Longmire did not directly answer whether the Kangaroos had been in touch with either himself or his management, instead saying he had not been offered a job. With negotiations over a contract extension at the Swans set to begin imminently, Longmire will probably look to use any external interest to bolster his bargaining position.