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Remembering Roos - a seriously good coach
By Robert Walls
September 19, 2003
Paul Roos first caught my eye in September 1980. I had just finished as a footballer, the prospect of a knee reconstruction at 30 holding little appeal. What did appeal was the chance to coach Fitzroy - the team I played for in the last three years of my career. In 1980, the 'Roys took the wooden spoon, and Bill Stephen stepped down as coach. I was encouraged to apply, and in the end, it narrowed down to Allan Jeans, Haydn Bunton jnr and myself.
While I waited for the Fitzroy board's decision, I keenly watched the Lions' under-19 team, coached by Doug Searle, play several finals games. If I got the job, I wanted to invite the cream of the crop of youngsters to do summer training with the senior team.
Several kids caught my eye, and an asterisk was placed beside 10 or 11 teenagers' names. The biggest asterisk was placed beside the name of one P. Roos, a 17-year-old from the Beverley Hills Football Club in Donvale. This skinny kid with long, black hair had a magnificent leap, strong hands and a physique that, with work, could develop into the perfect footballer's build. The biggest downside was that he sprayed his kicks and, playing as a forward, that stood out.
When I got the job as senior coach, all the "asterisk" kids were invited to pre-season training - in itself a test. The sessions are many, long and hard. The non-committed soon fall away. The 17-year-old Roos thrived on the phsyical conditioning. He was a natural sportsman and popular with his peers. He was confident without being overbearing, full of mischief without being a lair and he led, without being pushy. People enjoyed being around him.
In our first major hit-out in '81, Roos was selected at full-forward in a pre-season game against Essendon at Waverley. He barely got a kick and was knocked from pillar to post. It was decided, there and then, that he would play the season in the seconds and work at putting muscle on his light frame.
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In 1982, at 18, Roos was ready, and became a regular in the senior side, playing as a half-forward flanker and winger. Coming into the side that year were two of his mates from out Doncaster way - a 16-year-old Gary Pert and 17-year-old Richard Osborne. Roosy was king of the kids, and highly regarded by the senior players led by Garry Wilson, Bernie Quinlan and Matt Rendell.
The great strength of Fitzroy in the early '80s was the magnificent team spirit that existed. They were a happy group, one-in, all-in, and Roos was in the thick of it.
A happy memory was picking up Roos, Pert and Osborne when they finished school, loading school bags and football gear into the boot, and driving from Doncaster to the Junction Oval at St Kilda. When they got their licences, they would take great delight in giving me a razz as they revved past on the Eastern Freeway.
By mid-'84, Roos was ready for bigger roles, and centre half-back was the spot. It was felt that, on a bigger opponent, he could run off them, being more agile at ground level. Also, with his leap and timing, he could spoil if caught behind or mark if the odds were in his favour. He took to the position like a fish to water.
His first game as a key defender was on Richmond's Jim Jess at the MCG. He then took on the best in the business: Stephen Kernahan, Dermott Brereton, Stewart Loewe and Wayne Carey. Nine times he was All-Australian centre half-back, five times Fitzroy's best and fairest, and twice he ran third in the Brownlow.
After 13 seasons and 269 games at Fitzroy, Roos left for Sydney. It was a gutsy move. The easy option would have been to play out his career in comfort as a Lion. In his second season with the Swans, 1996, Roos played in his one and only grand final. After four seasons and 87 games with Sydney, he retired on 356 games, equal-seventh with Bruce Doull on the most-games-played list.
Throughout his playing career, Roos was held in the highest regard by his peers. Scrupulously fair, talented, durable, modest and with a wicked sense of humour, he was the ultimate team player and clubman.
A fond memory of Roos was back in the summer of '85. Senior players were being given the opportunity to plan and conduct training sessions. When it was Roos' turn, he started with four players kicking end-to-end with each other. The purpose was to take "speccies" in a pack-marking situation - something he thrived on. The players were having a great time trying to out-mark each other. After 15 minutes, I asked, "What's next?". "This is it," he grinned. So, for an hour, hanger upon hanger was taken. It was different, but enjoyable. The sort of thing we did as kids.
Last year, when Roos stepped in mid-season for Rodney Eade, the Swans won an impressive six of their last 10 games. It's my belief that the Sydney hierarchy wanted Terry Wallace, not Roos, as coach.
When word got out, the Swans fans got to work. Petitions were signed and placards raised demanding Roos be appointed senior coach. The power of the people won, and the rest is history.
A huge motivator for players is wanting to play for their coach. Sydney and Collingwood are currently stand-outs in this area. Roos - great player, great bloke - is eight days away from being called a great coach. Proof that a lot can happen in a short time.
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