We continue our countdown to the biggest event in the Club’s history - the 25 year Anniversary Dinner. Follow the highs and lows of each year the Swans have been in Sydney every day on sydneyswans.com.au leading up to the event. Here is 2001...

The Swans’ star recruit going into season 2001 was Paul Williams, who had played 189 games for Collingwood between 1991 and 2000. A new assistant coach also joined the ranks.

Paul Roos had worked in a part-time coaching capacity throughout the 2000 season, but became a full-time part of the coaching team going into 2001.

As they had in 2000, the team began the season with three consecutive wins – over Adelaide, West Coast and the Kangaroos – and were in first place on the ladder at the conclusion of round three.

Five consecutive losses followed, and the Swans slipped to eleventh. Their form was inconsistent for much of the remainder of the year.

Injuries certainly took their toll on the team. Paul Kelly missed the first ten games with a hamstring injury, Brad Seymour and Dale Lewis also missed a large number of games as a result of injuries.

However, some younger developing players were given chances at senior level as a result.

The biggest story of the year was probably the round 14 debut of Tadhg Kennelly, the Irish recruit who had been on the Swans’ rookie list the previous year.

Another highlight of the season was the round 16 away game against Adelaide.

Having conceded a first-quarter lead to the Crows, the Swans’ fightback was admirable, and Jason Ball – having recovered from the injury problems which had plagued him the year before – was best afield with five goals in the Swans 49-point victory.

As they had the year before, the Swans made a late-season run towards the finals, winning seven of the last eleven games, and finished the season in seventh position.

The first week in September saw the Swans meet Hawthorn at Telstra Dome. Disappointingly, the second elimination final ended in a 19.15 (129) to 11.8 (74) victory to the Hawks and the Swans season was over.

Over too were the careers of two Swans stalwarts, with Troy Luff and Dale Lewis hanging up their boots at the end of the 2001 season.