Barassi's influence on Swans

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  • royboy42
    Senior Player
    • Apr 2006
    • 2076

    Barassi's influence on Swans

    When we got Barass in 93, the Swans were an absolute shambles.
    The Edelsten era, and a series of ineffective coaches, added to a total lack of engagement by the Sydney public, had us in the cellar , and heading even further south.
    He came in (albeit reluctantly) and took the whole outfit by the scruff of the neck and shook...and shook.
    He made enemies and made footballers at the same pace.
    All of a sudden discipline, which had been non existent , became a byword.
    Slowly he weeded out what he saw as bad apples; we won a few, crowds started to seep back.
    By the time he moved on after 95, he was handing Rocket the basis of a genuine football team (certainly helped by Barassi's work in getting Plugger up here).
    Proof of his influence came when we made the 96 GF,mostly with his boys and a lot of his residual influence.
    I reckon that his role in the swan's history is a huge one. His work should never be undervalued.
    Thanks Ron.
    Any thoughts?
  • jono2707
    Goes up to 11
    • Oct 2007
    • 3326

    #2
    Great post - he certainty was the guy who turned it all around for us - from a basket case to one of the real premiership forces of the last (almost) 20 years.

    You should also post this on the Melbourne supporters' site - they could sure do with this sort of treatment right now.... Barrass wouldn't be up to it now, and Malthouse is taken. I hear Roosy's name bandied about a bit...

    Comment

    • royboy42
      Senior Player
      • Apr 2006
      • 2076

      #3
      Originally posted by jono2707
      Great post - he certainty was the guy who turned it all around for us - from a basket case to one of the real premiership forces of the last (almost) 20 years.

      You should also post this on the Melbourne supporters' site - they could sure do with this sort of treatment right now.... Barrass wouldn't be up to it now, and Malthouse is taken. I hear Roosy's name bandied about a bit...
      True that Barass couldn't help the Demons now..but he still had the ticker a couple of years ago to take on some mug who was belting a lady in the street. Barass came off second best..he IS well over 70..but what a man!

      Comment

      • Sandridge
        Outer wing, Lake Oval
        • Apr 2010
        • 2056

        #4
        Barass certainly was a huge influence in beginning the transformation from aforesaid basket case to where we are now.

        I also credit Richard Colless with a lot of our success. Can someone help my memory? Was Richard Colless with us at the same time as Barass? I know Colless was certainly with us in 1996.

        Comment

        • ScottH
          It's Goodes to cheer!!
          • Sep 2003
          • 23665

          #5
          Originally posted by Sandridge
          Barass certainly was a huge influence in beginning the transformation from aforesaid basket case to where we are now.

          I also credit Richard Colless with a lot of our success. Can someone help my memory? Was Richard Colless with us at the same time as Barass? I know Colless was certainly with us in 1996.
          1993.

          Richard Colless - RWOwiki

          Comment

          • dawson
            Senior Player
            • Mar 2003
            • 1007

            #6
            It was the perfect storm of all these things coming together at once but getting Barrassi was definitely massive and made a huge difference.
            For instance in the early 90s, we had all these draft picks and just pissed them away - In 1992, we traded away picks 1 and 3 for Tony Begovich, Scott Watters and Ed Considine and Michael Warner. Our first pick - Jason Spinks @ 5 didn't play a game.

            Getting Lockett was also big and that guys like Kelly, Cresswell, Lewis, Kickett and Dunkley were already here was great. Then we got the benefit of uncontracted players and this got us Maxfield and Dyson.

            2 years later we took Anthony Rocca and Shannon Grant at 2 and 3 - so we were drafting better.

            The big change at the club is the players not getting homesick and wanting to go home. We lost Rocca, Grant, Gaspar, Licuria, Kinnear and O'Farrell because of this.

            Round 22 of 1995 which was his last game as coach is one of my most favorite games of all time and looking back you can clearly see it was the end of an era. As we ran onto the field at the end of that game who would have known that 12 months later we would have been doing the same to celebrate finishing top on the ladder!

            Comment

            • wolftone57
              Veterans List
              • Aug 2008
              • 5835

              #7
              Originally posted by royboy42
              True that Barass couldn't help the Demons now..but he still had the ticker a couple of years ago to take on some mug who was belting a lady in the street. Barass came off second best..he IS well over 70..but what a man!
              I'm with Barass if someone started hitting a woman or mugging anyone in the street I am in there as old and decrepit as I am.

              Comment

              • wolftone57
                Veterans List
                • Aug 2008
                • 5835

                #8
                Originally posted by royboy42
                True that Barass couldn't help the Demons now..but he still had the ticker a couple of years ago to take on some mug who was belting a lady in the street. Barass came off second best..he IS well over 70..but what a man!
                I'm with Barass if someone started hitting a woman or mugging anyone in the street I am in there as old and decrepit as I am.

                Comment

                • CJK
                  Human
                  • Apr 2006
                  • 2170

                  #9
                  Who?
                  -

                  Comment

                  • wolftone57
                    Veterans List
                    • Aug 2008
                    • 5835

                    #10
                    Originally posted by dawson
                    It was the perfect storm of all these things coming together at once but getting Barrassi was definitely massive and made a huge difference.
                    For instance in the early 90s, we had all these draft picks and just pissed them away - In 1992, we traded away picks 1 and 3 for Tony Begovich, Scott Watters and Ed Considine and Michael Warner. Our first pick - Jason Spinks @ 5 didn't play a game.

                    Getting Lockett was also big and that guys like Kelly, Cresswell, Lewis, Kickett and Dunkley were already here was great. Then we got the benefit of uncontracted players and this got us Maxfield and Dyson.

                    2 years later we took Anthony Rocca and Shannon Grant at 2 and 3 - so we were drafting better.

                    The big change at the club is the players not getting homesick and wanting to go home. We lost Rocca, Grant, Gaspar, Licuria, Kinnear and O'Farrell because of this.

                    Round 22 of 1995 which was his last game as coach is one of my most favorite games of all time and looking back you can clearly see it was the end of an era. As we ran onto the field at the end of that game who would have known that 12 months later we would have been doing the same to celebrate finishing top on the ladder!
                    Rocca only ever wanted to play for Collingwood. Yes there is a big difference in players wanting to stay up here now. What is more we are breeding our own stock LOL. Kizza, Birdie, LRT, Rampe, Brandon, Robbo, Macca, you could almost say Kurt as he was born here, Tony Armstrong and Big Sam Naismith. sydney is seen as a great place to play footy today and the Swans as the best place for a kid to be in the country.

                    Thank you Ron and Richard for all you have done for this club.

                    Comment

                    • BeeEmmAre
                      Commentary Team Captain
                      • Aug 2005
                      • 2509

                      #11
                      While Richard Colless is and has been absolutely vital to the success of our great club (and provided me with one of my great memories in following the mighty Swans, I have said for 20 years that if it wasn't for the great Ronald Dale Barassi, there absolutely would be no Sydney Swans for us to support because we would have folded as Carlton wanted us to.

                      No Swans = no Plugger, Roosy, Kelly, O'Loughlin, Kirk, Goodes, Hall, Bolton in Sydney, no 1996 or 2006 Grand Final, no 2005 or 2012 premierships, no Bloods Culture, and no great ride we've had for the past 17 years, which shows no signs of abating.
                      And, most likely, no AFL football in NSW either, which means no Giants, and no hope of overtaking rugby league.


                      Thankyou Ron - our hero, our saviour!
                      "It's up to the rest of the players in the room to make a new batch of premiership players next year," Adam Goodes, triple Bob Skilton Medallist, October 7, 2011.

                      YOU BETCHA!!!!!!

                      Comment

                      • Sandridge
                        Outer wing, Lake Oval
                        • Apr 2010
                        • 2056

                        #12
                        Originally posted by ScottH
                        Thanks ScottH. I knew Colless is the longest serving chairman/president in the AFL but didn't know he'd been with us that long.

                        Comment

                        • goswannie14
                          Leadership Group
                          • Sep 2005
                          • 11166

                          #13
                          I had a similar conversation to this about Melbourne during the week at work. Where they are is about where we were 20 years ago.

                          Thanks to Barrassi and Colless we are now an AFL powerhouse.
                          Does God believe in Atheists?

                          Comment

                          • Legs Akimbo
                            Grand Poobah
                            • Apr 2005
                            • 2809

                            #14
                            Originally posted by goswannie14
                            I had a similar conversation to this about Melbourne during the week at work. Where they are is about where we were 20 years ago.

                            Thanks to Barrassi and Colless we are now an AFL powerhouse.
                            It shows how much difference one or two people with the right attitude, energy and charisma can make. Both legends of our club. Ronald Dale is one a great of the game and a great Australian.
                            He had observed that people who did lie were, on the whole, more resourceful and ambitious and successful than people who did not lie.

                            Comment

                            • swanwolf
                              Warming the Bench
                              • Apr 2013
                              • 198

                              #15
                              Without Barassi, I would not be following the Swans. Not because of who he was but because of what he did; reminding us we are a real footy club and charting the course of our success by honesty and commitment. Cheers Coach, I hope we did you proud.

                              Comment

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