The longest ever Swans coach Paul Roos tonight pledged his future to the Sydney club until the end of the 2011 season. Roos announced a two-year contract extension at the club’s best and fairest dinner in Sydney.
The popular coach, who replaced Rodney Eade halfway through the 2002 campaign, was under contract until the end of next season but has decided to extend his contract.
Roos, who also played for the club before becoming an assistant coach, has enjoyed an enviable record in one of the AFL’s most demanding markets.
He guided the club formerly known as South Melbourne to their first premiership in 72 years when they beat West Coast and carried off the 2005 flag.
They also lost another grand final to the Eagles the following year.
In the latter stages of the recently concluded season, Roos passed Eade’s club record of 152 games as head coach.
Through the season Roos had indicated he would sit down with the club at the end of the season to discuss his future, but had never indicated whether he would seek an extension.
With several of his senior players including Barry Hall, Brett Kirk, Michael O’Loughlin and Leo Barry all past 30 and in the latter stages of their career, some Sydney supporters feared Roos might leave when his contract expired after next season.
He has led the Swans to the finals in each of his six full seasons as head coach.
Roos has never considered himself a career coach, but has always enjoyed good relations with both the Sydney fans and media.
With an ageing list, his challenge over the next three seasons will be to regenerate the club as successfully as he did when he first took over and had to replace champions like Tony Lockett, Paul Kelly, Wayne Schwass and Andrew Dunkley.
Trevor Brown
Guest
I've just been looking at a few Sydney statistics since 2003 and cannot see "the slow, inevitable downward slide" referred to by Greg Russell. All home-and-away data suggest a flat graph (i.e., zero slope) with a tiny peak in 2005.
Redb
Guest
The Swans need a couple of young gun midfielders, a power forward and an evasive crumber forward. They need to refresh the list with speed and strength. Already the tactics and playing style that won them the flag in 2005 and got close in 2006 is old hat. The Swans defend well but their ability to kick a winning score against ever improving defences (zone/cluster defences) could prove to be their weakness in 2009. As for Roos, he has the runs on the board, but needs the cattle to get the job done. Redb
Greg Russell
Roar Guru
Aren't we just seeing the Leigh Matthews/Brisbane Lions scenario repeating in Sydney? Roos has had a great run at Sydney but there is no sign that he is arresting the slow, inevitable downward slide that is part of the cycle. In fact "slow" will change to "fast" if Ryan O'Keefe leaves. Wouldn't it have been better for everyone, Roos included, if he had left now rather than most likely consigning the club to a couple of years like the Lions have just had?