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Sydney are preparing for another AFL finals campaign and far from appearing edgy, coach Paul Roos is spending his time cracking jokes.
But this comes as no surprise for those who have watched the hugely popular Swans coach lead the club to the playoffs in every full season he has been in charge since taking over in mid-2002.
Roos, a champion defender with Fitzroy and Sydney, made his only grand final appearance as a player in 1996 when the Swans lost to North Melbourne by 43 points.
Saturday night’s ANZ Stadium elimination final will be only the second finals clash between North and Sydney, and this time Roos is guiding the Swans with three chirpy former Kangaroos players on his coaching staff.
His key assistant John Longmire, who missed the 1996 premiership side through injury, and John Blakey and Brett Allison, who did play in the game, haven’t missed the opportunity to remind Roos this week of North’s superiority in 1996.
North coach Dean Laidley also played in the Kangaroos’ 1996 premiership side along with current skipper Adam Simpson.
North’s 300-gamer Shannon Grant, who is retiring later this month, played for the Swans in the 1996 grand final alongside current Swans forward Michael O’Loughlin, who is set to miss this weekend through injury.
Roos said he had no memories of any particular encounter with Laidley during the match, but Blakey is another matter completely.
“I’ve got some lunatics out the back there who beat me,” Roos said today at a press conference at the SCG.
“Johnny Blakey tagged me for the last quarter and he kept holding my jumper.
“John Longmire’s out there and Brett Allison’s out there (in the club’s offices) and you know, so I don’t reflect on that other than I give Johnny Blakey hell for his last-quarter attempt to tag me and he ripped my jumper.
“I’m still bitter and twisted about that but I’ll let that go eventually when I’m about 90 in an old people’s home and Bolts (Sydney co-captain Craig Bolton) can come and visit me and wipe my chin.
“In terms of 1996, it seems such a long time ago now.
“It was a great event for this footy club to play in a grand final then and great players like Tony Lockett and Paul Kelly and Andrew Dunkley.”
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