SYDNEY SWANS’ coach Paul Roos says when Ross Lyon departed the Harbour City for his new post at the helm of the Saints, he took one vital piece of documentation with him – The Sydney Swans’ game plan book.
“I’ve never seen his game plan book but he’s got mine,” Roos laughs.
And Roos says that he never requested that the tactical book be returned.
“Regardless of whether he has the book or not, he knows how we operate and play and the majority of clubs know that anyway… so I don’t think that him taking a document makes a difference because he’s been here and he was part of putting it all together. I know Rossy wouldn’t show anyone anyway because he’s a good mate of mine,” he jokes.
According to Roos, too much has been made of the so-called coaching competition dubbed ‘Roosy versus Rossy’. He believes it’s not a matter of him coaching against his former assistant when their sides meet at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night.
“I won’t be coaching against Ross Lyon, I’ll be coaching against St. Kilda and I don’t think he’ll (Ross Lyon) be coaching against Paul Roos…I’m coaching against Nick Riewoldt, I’m coaching against Justin Koschitzke, Robert Harvey and those sorts of guys. So they’re the ones I’m trying to stop, I’m not trying to stop Rossy in the box because he’ll have drilled into his players, what he wants them to do. I’m trying to upset his players not upset him.”
Despite the fact that former Sydney Swans Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster as well as the coach, now call Moorabbin home, Roos denies that the Swans and Saints have one of the big rivalries in the league.
“I think rivalries are usually born out of great games. It’s hard to manufacture actual rivalries. Sydney and West Coast have had a great rivalry because we’ve had some great games. There’s never been any spite in the game, it hasn’t been a tribal thing or a Western Australia versus Sydney thing. That rivalry has been built up with two good grand finals and one win each with close finishes.”
Roos insists that he wishes nothing but the best for the Saints and their former Swans.
“As for Schneids and Seanie, I just hope they have really good years because they’re really good guys. If we don’t win it (the Premiership), I hope Rossy wins it because he’s a great mate and I’d love him to be successful. But if we play him in the grand final, then I don’t want him to win it. (laughs) So if I had a second team, my second team would be St. Kilda.”
