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One for the road?
08 August 2003 Herald Sun
DARYN Cresswell ignored the advice of his wife, Donna, when he gave six months' notice of retirement from football.
Bad call: Daryn Cresswell says he made the wrong decision announcing his retirement in advance.
If he is to follow his heart and back away from the promise in the next few weeks, he will ignore the advice of long-time friend and teammate Paul Kelly.
The veteran Sydney midfielder is in a pickle. He is painfully aware he has publicly declared his hand, yet he and the Swans are faring so well, he doesn't want it to end.
"I've sorta half changed my mind a bit, I suppose," he said sheepishly yesterday.
"I did make the wrong decision by announcing it.
"When I told Donna I was reconsidering, she said `I told you not to say it, didn't I'?'
"She said `you never know what could happen'. She reminds me all the time."
So as not to repeat the mistake, he has been canvassing the views of several close friends, not always getting the answer he wants.
"All bar one has told me to play on,' he said.
"`Kell' (Paul Kelly) reckons I should retire; Andrew Dunkley, who is probably my best mate, `Schwatta' (Wayne Schwass), they're telling me I should keep playing.
"I was involved a bit in `Schwatta's' decision (mid-season last year).
"He reckons you're a long time retired and, while you're playing good footy, you should keep on playing."
Cresswell, who turned 32 in May, started the season hopeful rather than optimistic.
"I didn't realise how well we were going to go," he said.
"I probably expected us to be middle-rung and miss the finals.
"I didn't think the young guys would step up to the mark so quickly."
The Swans, who finished 11th last year with nine wins and a draw, are fourth with 12 wins from 18 rounds. Cresswell is averaging 21 possessions from his 13 games and has kicked 15 goals.
"Obviously, it helps when you're winning. Makes you enjoy your footy a bit more and `Roosy' (coach Paul Roos) has let me off the leash," he said.
"I've had run-with roles for the past three or four years, so now I'm probably enjoying the freedom a bit more."
The complication for Cresswell is the expectation he created, and the subsequent events.
The family house, for example, has been sold, with settlement due after the football season.
"Yeah, I've spoken to a few clubs; haven't signed anything. There's a couple of real good offers."
The plan has been that the Cresswells would take themselves and their two children, Emily, 20 months, and Jake, 12 weeks, off to Brisbane.
Two of his good friends, Alastair Lynch and Mark Bayes, are involved with the Lions, and the weather is more to his liking than it is in his native Hobart.
Explaining his pre-season decision, he said: "I suppose what hit me most was when `Kell' retired.
"I'd played with two blokes (Kelly and Andrew Dunkley) for 12 years.
"It was a real big shock for me. I definitely thought `Kell' would play another year.
"That starts to make you think and then you think it's probably a rebuilding phase and you don't want to get in the way of any kids coming through.
"I thought it (announcing his plans) would help me enjoy my last year, hopefully help me play good footy, and that the pressure was off me.
"`Roosy' was pretty supportive of my decision. He likes to see blokes go out on top, I think, and he's seen `Dunks' and `Kell' do that.
"He said: `It's your decision. If you want to do it, I'll support you'."
It's a big decision. While Roos builds for the future, Cresswell is a respected and popular figure.
Only four players have played more games for the Swans, and he has passed Brownlow Medal winners Kelly and Bob Skilton in the past month.
He is in contention for the South Melbourne-Sydney Team of the Century, to be named tonight.
"If things keep going the way they are, yeah, I'll have a chat to `Roosy'," he said.
"I'm getting real good support from not only past players but guys like (Michael) O'Loughlin, `Willo' (Paul Williams), Nick Davis, Stewie Maxfield ? they all want me to play on.
"The support of your peers is really important.
"I just want to go out on my terms, playing good footy; I don't want to go out sitting on the bench or struggling.
"The best player I played with, and I played with Kelly, Lockett and all them players, was Mark Bayes.
"He and Dennis Carroll had a lot of injuries towards the end of their careers and never probably finished the way they played.
"A lot of people forget how good they were because they never got to see them play at their best in the last couple of years."
Coach Roos still sees Cresswell as a retiring player.
"When he made the decision and came to me, I said `mate, I think you've made the right decision'," Roos said.
"If he wants to have a chat about it, I'll sit down and talk to him about it.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's retiring and we'll, hopefully, send him out on a real high this year."
08 August 2003 Herald Sun
DARYN Cresswell ignored the advice of his wife, Donna, when he gave six months' notice of retirement from football.
Bad call: Daryn Cresswell says he made the wrong decision announcing his retirement in advance.
If he is to follow his heart and back away from the promise in the next few weeks, he will ignore the advice of long-time friend and teammate Paul Kelly.
The veteran Sydney midfielder is in a pickle. He is painfully aware he has publicly declared his hand, yet he and the Swans are faring so well, he doesn't want it to end.
"I've sorta half changed my mind a bit, I suppose," he said sheepishly yesterday.
"I did make the wrong decision by announcing it.
"When I told Donna I was reconsidering, she said `I told you not to say it, didn't I'?'
"She said `you never know what could happen'. She reminds me all the time."
So as not to repeat the mistake, he has been canvassing the views of several close friends, not always getting the answer he wants.
"All bar one has told me to play on,' he said.
"`Kell' (Paul Kelly) reckons I should retire; Andrew Dunkley, who is probably my best mate, `Schwatta' (Wayne Schwass), they're telling me I should keep playing.
"I was involved a bit in `Schwatta's' decision (mid-season last year).
"He reckons you're a long time retired and, while you're playing good footy, you should keep on playing."
Cresswell, who turned 32 in May, started the season hopeful rather than optimistic.
"I didn't realise how well we were going to go," he said.
"I probably expected us to be middle-rung and miss the finals.
"I didn't think the young guys would step up to the mark so quickly."
The Swans, who finished 11th last year with nine wins and a draw, are fourth with 12 wins from 18 rounds. Cresswell is averaging 21 possessions from his 13 games and has kicked 15 goals.
"Obviously, it helps when you're winning. Makes you enjoy your footy a bit more and `Roosy' (coach Paul Roos) has let me off the leash," he said.
"I've had run-with roles for the past three or four years, so now I'm probably enjoying the freedom a bit more."
The complication for Cresswell is the expectation he created, and the subsequent events.
The family house, for example, has been sold, with settlement due after the football season.
"Yeah, I've spoken to a few clubs; haven't signed anything. There's a couple of real good offers."
The plan has been that the Cresswells would take themselves and their two children, Emily, 20 months, and Jake, 12 weeks, off to Brisbane.
Two of his good friends, Alastair Lynch and Mark Bayes, are involved with the Lions, and the weather is more to his liking than it is in his native Hobart.
Explaining his pre-season decision, he said: "I suppose what hit me most was when `Kell' retired.
"I'd played with two blokes (Kelly and Andrew Dunkley) for 12 years.
"It was a real big shock for me. I definitely thought `Kell' would play another year.
"That starts to make you think and then you think it's probably a rebuilding phase and you don't want to get in the way of any kids coming through.
"I thought it (announcing his plans) would help me enjoy my last year, hopefully help me play good footy, and that the pressure was off me.
"`Roosy' was pretty supportive of my decision. He likes to see blokes go out on top, I think, and he's seen `Dunks' and `Kell' do that.
"He said: `It's your decision. If you want to do it, I'll support you'."
It's a big decision. While Roos builds for the future, Cresswell is a respected and popular figure.
Only four players have played more games for the Swans, and he has passed Brownlow Medal winners Kelly and Bob Skilton in the past month.
He is in contention for the South Melbourne-Sydney Team of the Century, to be named tonight.
"If things keep going the way they are, yeah, I'll have a chat to `Roosy'," he said.
"I'm getting real good support from not only past players but guys like (Michael) O'Loughlin, `Willo' (Paul Williams), Nick Davis, Stewie Maxfield ? they all want me to play on.
"The support of your peers is really important.
"I just want to go out on my terms, playing good footy; I don't want to go out sitting on the bench or struggling.
"The best player I played with, and I played with Kelly, Lockett and all them players, was Mark Bayes.
"He and Dennis Carroll had a lot of injuries towards the end of their careers and never probably finished the way they played.
"A lot of people forget how good they were because they never got to see them play at their best in the last couple of years."
Coach Roos still sees Cresswell as a retiring player.
"When he made the decision and came to me, I said `mate, I think you've made the right decision'," Roos said.
"If he wants to have a chat about it, I'll sit down and talk to him about it.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's retiring and we'll, hopefully, send him out on a real high this year."
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