Among the best clubs in the game is Fitzroy Football Club. Similar to South Melbourne, however, they had fallen on hard times and were without money when local product Paul Roos won his fifth best and fairest in 1994.It was the most recent concerning indication for Roos, and the premier centre half-back in the league became interested in them when the Swans called. At the Melbourne Hyatt, Roos was received by a group of club members, including Ron Joseph, Ron Barassi, and Richard Colless, who made an excellent impression with their professionalism and foresight.”They had begun to choose the appropriate individuals, and ‘Barass’s’ coaching played a major role in getting up there. Getting Tony Lockett’s autograph on the back of Barassi’s was enormous, and Ronny Joseph was amazing as well,” Roos said.It takes more than contemplation to develop a feeling of purpose. It results from making decisions that propel you forward. After three straight wooden spoons, the team was starting to turn things around, and in 1995—Roos’ first season there—the Swans made significant progress and just missed the finals.”There was a lot of young talent coming into the footy club, along with some experienced heads, and you can’t underestimate the impact that Kevin Dyson, Craig O’Brien and Stuey Maxfield had as high-quality AFL players coming in, that trained really hard and helped set the standards,” Roos stated.

Even with the addition of important new players, nobody anticipated that Sydney, led by Rodney Eade, would achieve anything in 1996. But as soon as they started winning consistently, momentum built.The players were well-known in the city for the first time in years, and when the Swans played Geelong in Round 14, 44,000 people packed the SCG and thousands of locked-out supporters were escorted into the SFS next door to watch on the big screen.Sydney defeated Essendon in a home preliminary final, riding that wave to a finals series. When the siren sounded, Tony Lockett kicked the game-winning goal, advancing the Swans to their first Grand Final in 51 years.As a team, we never gave up and had a strong sense of destiny. A player who was perhaps the greatest player to ever play the game kicked the winning point in front of an over-excited and ecstatic crowd. It truly was remarkable.”Even though the Swans were defeated by North Melbourne in the AFL’s Centenary Grand Final, Roos helped make Australian football famous in New South Wales. Though ’96 would be Roos’ lone opportunity to capture that coveted flag—as a player—they solidified and went on to the finals in the next two seasons.After Roos announced his retirement in 1998, teammate Paul Kelly said him “The ultimate centre half-back: a beautiful mark, a long kick, a great reader of the play and committed to succeed.”

Paul Roos, the coach who won the premiership, considers the Sydney Swans’ past in front of their 150th anniversary.In 1988, while on vacation in the US, Roos met Tami, his wife. Following her arrival in Australia, they were married in San Jose four years later. After he completed playing, in order to spend more time with Tami’s family, they moved to the United States with their boys, Dylan and Tyler.They travelled abroad for a year. Roos visited the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and San Diego Chargers to observe their methods of play even though he was uncertain about his future. After gaining a wealth of knowledge, he rejoined Rodney Eade’s coaching staff.Roos wrote a list in the latter years of his playing career that would later inform his coaching philosophy. He wanted to remember what it was like to be a player and see the game from two perspectives if he ever became a coach.The Swans were a broken team by 2002. Additionally, Roos was given the opportunity to lead the team—temporarily—after Eade left. “I had to choose if I wanted to participate or not. I made a big decision because I knew that within ten weeks, I might be jeopardising my coaching career.”Following those ten weeks, the public’s opinion and the results required Roos to continue. In the end, chairman Richard Colless named his hiring as Sydney Swans coach as one of the most significant in the team’s history. Roos held the position until 2010.He energised the team, and his strategies were especially well-liked by the younger players. Jude Bolton of the Swans Hall of Fame stated, “Roosy’s entire philosophy brought a completely different change from our perspective.” And it all began to make sense in terms of how many of us perceived football. Indeed, you could observe the lads’ shift in perspective.”In 2003, the Roos sent leadership expert Ray McLean to a pre-season camp in Coffs Harbour to help in creating a leadership framework for the players. They created a brand, demanded respect, and built their strategy on three fundamental principles: hard work, discipline, and perseverance.These principles later served as the foundation for “The Bloods Culture,” and the Swans gained a reputation for dependability and resiliency. Roos welcomed openness and promoted candid communication among the coaching and playing staff.His strategy was successful. They made it to a semi-final the next year, and a preliminary final the year before. Roos believed they were prepared to contend in 2005. “After we were humiliated by West Coast early in the year, there came a turning point. The participants no longer made the decision to play for one another.””They decided to play for their teammates after that. The rest is history since they decided to strive for greatness and follow their own proven course of action.”With 10 victories in their previous 12 games, the Swans had a strong September. Sydney took on West Coast in the Grand Final following three thrilling finals. Michael O’Loughlin, the Bloods champion, remembers the players’ calm confidence that Roos instilled in them.”Roosy was an expert trainer and communicator with the players. His composure as well as that of the assistant coaches undoubtedly aided us. We could see that everything had been well prepared, and we were certain that we had done our homework. Everyone was prepared to go, and we felt we deserved to be there,” O’Loughlin remarked.It’s now football folklore that day that the Bloods won by four points. Roos was on stage, and his remarks had an impact on the spirit of the club. He said, “To the people who’ve waited 72 years to see South Melbourne/Sydney Swans win the premiership…,” as red and white confetti fell all around him.

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