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Master meets apprentice on the big stage

Roar Guru
22nd April, 2014
1

While the ANZAC Day triple-header will highlight Round 6 of the AFL season, one match that will be worth watching is the Saturday night showdown between Melbourne and the Sydney Swans.

This will see Demons coach Paul Roos come up against the side that he set up for long-term success more than a decade ago.

Melbourne versus Sydney Swans
Saturday, April 26
7:40pm
Melbourne Cricket Ground

Last meeting: Sydney Swans 16.20 (116) defeated Melbourne 13.7 (85), Round 15, 2013.

Who would have thought it possible that Paul Roos would one day coach against the side that he led to their first premiership in 72 years?

Well, that will certainly be the case when his Demons enter battle against John Longmire’s Sydney Swans, in what will be the 2012 premiers’ first outing in Melbourne this season.

Before we preview the match in detail, let’s take a look at the distinguished career of the Sydney Swans’ 2005 premiership winning coach.

Roos is one of the greats in AFL history, playing 356 matches for Fitzroy (269) and Sydney (87) but being unable to land that elusive premiership as a player. He came closest when he featured in the Swans’ losing grand final side against North Melbourne in 1996.

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His ranks among Robert Harvey, Gary Ablett Sr, Nathan Buckley, Tony Lockett, Bob Skilton and Chris Grant, among many others – greats in the AFL who never played in a premiership side.

After finishing as a player at the end of 1998, he became an assistant coach at the Swans and was appointed caretaker coach midway through the 2002 season after Rodney Eade was sacked, with the Swans struggling near the bottom of the ladder.

His elevation to the head coaching role, albeit on a temporary basis, proved popular with long-suffering Swans fans, who still remembered him from his playing days when the Swans started becoming the force that they are now.

Such was his popularity among the Swans hierarchy that after the Swans’ final-round win over Richmond at Telstra Stadium, the players and fans joined in the “Rooooooos” call and it was clear who they wanted as their coach.

Despite his influence immediately turning some of the Swans players into the leaders they would eventually become, the club administration continued to pursue then-Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace hard, until people power forced them to eventually appoint Roos as the full-time head coach.

As it would eventually turn out, the decision to appoint Roos as the coach, was right, as the Swans’ results would improve in the years to come.

In 2003, Roos’ first full season as Swans head coach, many AFL experts had the Swans pencilled in as post-season wooden spooners. However, they would stun the AFL world by not only defeating the all-conquering Brisbane Lions twice in the regular season, but also reaching the preliminary final and falling short of what would have been their first decider in seven years.

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But it was in 2005 in which Roos would achieve the ultimate glory, something that eluded him in over 350 games as a player, despite a rocky start to the season.

Early in the season Roos and the Swans earned the ire of Andrew Demetriou and the AFL over its defensive game plan, and all was there to see when the Swans were on the wrong end of a 43-point loss to St Kilda at Docklands in Round 10.

This criticism led to the media calling the Swans the “ugly ducklings” of the AFL.

The loss to the Saints was the turning point in the Swans’ season, as they would only lose three more matches. They would also avenge that defeat to the Saints by denying them a shot at what would have been their first flag in almost 40 years in the preliminary final.

Then came grand final day, in which the Swans would post the exact same score from that match against the Saints from the middle of the season (8.10 (58)), however, it would be a winning one as they defeated the West Coast Eagles (7.12 (54)) in an all-time classic.

What a way to inflict the last laugh on your most harshest critic of all. And as they say, the rest is history.

After the Swans suffered their worst season under Roos, finishing 12th in 2009 with only eight victories, Roos announced that he would leave the club at the end of the following season and pass control to coaching co-ordinator John Longmire.

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The club returned to the finals, finishing fifth at the end of the season, but just fell short of a preliminary final berth when it lost to the Western Bulldogs by less than a kick in the semi-final.

Not only did that match mark Paul Roos’ final match as Swans coach after more than 200 games, it also marked the end of Brett Kirk’s illustrious career. They in tandem had helped the Swans become the force that they are now.

After three years away from coaching, Roos returned to the coaching scene, this time with the Melbourne Demons.

His appointment was a major coup for the battling club, which had appointed, and sacked, two untried coaches (Dean Bailey and Mark Neeld) since the end of 2007 and endured long periods of limited on-field success in the intervention.

So far the Dees have been slow out of the blocks to start the Roos tenure, but at least they are a far more competitive unit than last year.

Their only win so far has come against Carlton, while their four losses ranged from a narrow loss to the Suns last start (eight points) to a humiliating 93-point loss to the West Coast Eagles at home.

They also gave St Kilda (17 points) and Greater Western Sydney (32 points) a run for their money before capitulating in the final quarter in the latter match, while against the Saints they were wasteful in front of goal.

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Longmire has continued the Swans’ period of success since taking over in 2011 – after losing a semi-final to Hawthorn in year one, he would lead the club to its second flag in seven years when they defeated the Hawks to win in 2012.

Last year was a challenging season for Horse Longmire as the Swans battled a growing injury toll by the week, with their most important player, Adam Goodes, missing the second half of the season due to a knee injury.

Still, the Swans were able to advance through to the preliminary final. But when there, their premiership defence was dismantled by Fremantle in one of the most brutal second quarters ever in recent AFL history.

So far the Swans have also been slow to start the season, losing three of their first four matches before clicking into gear against the Dockers last week.

The Swans’ recent history against Melbourne makes for good reading – they have won seven of their last nine against the Dees dating back to 2006. Ironically, the 73-point loss the Swans suffered in 2010 would be the worst coaching defeat for Paul Roos until Round 2 this season.

Taking that into account, the Swans will enter Saturday night’s match as favourites. They will look to even their season record ahead of a trip to Brisbane and a Friday night home match against flag favourites Hawthorn.

Who will take the chocolates in this master versus apprentice showdown?

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Prediction: Sydney Swans by 30 points.

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