Roos said he was privileged to be the newest unveiling in the 10-sculpture project and hoped that he could share the accolade with everyone involved in the Club’s history.
“The fact that it reflects not just me as a coach and player but it reflects the whole of the Sydney Swans Football Club and I think in my own mind you never feel worthy of (this kind of recognition),” Roos said.
The Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project is being undertaken by the SCG Trust with the generous support of noted businessman and philanthropist, Basil Sellers.
The sculpture is the first of two AFL subjects in the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project, and Roos joins cricketers Richie Benaud, Fred Spofforth, league player Dally Messenger and union player Trevor Allan in the collection of sculptures at the SCG.
The piece was created by Sydney sculptor, Cathy Weiszman, who was responsible for the Dally Messenger and Fred Spofforth sculptures.
The sculpture is the fifth sculpture to be unveiled by the Trust in the ten part series and is located inside the SCG on Level One of the Victor Trumper stand.
The criteria for being selected as the newest sculpture included having to play for the Swans since their relocation to the SCG from Melbourne in 1982.
Roos joked that one of the hard things was to get the players to attend the unveiling before Saturday night’s game against the Brisbane Lions, but said that it was also about all the players who have played for the Club, not just the 2005 Premiership team.
“I spoke to Craig (Bolton), Goodesy (Adam Goodes) and Kirky (Brett Kirk) and I said that there’s an unveiling of a sculpture and I’d like you guys to be here. Kirky said ‘I need to get there and get my ankle strapped early’ and Goodesy said ‘I normally sleep a bit early’ and Craig said, ‘No, I’m fine I can get there’ and I said ‘it’s me’.
“Then we had to work out a way to get all the players but it wouldn’t have been complete for me without this group of players. And it’s not just the group of guys who represented the Club on that day, it’s all the guys under other coaches and all the players that have come before me,” Roos said.
Swans Chairman Richard Colless AM unveiled the sculpture and paid tribute to the impact Roos has had in his time at the Club, saying that there is ‘only one Paul Roos’, and quoting from Roos’ 2005 premiership speech.
“To all those South Melbourne/Sydney Swans supporters who have wanted something at the SCG to symbolise that special association with this ground, here it is,” Colless said.
The sculpture is the first of two AFL subjects in the Basil Sellers Sports Sculpture Project, and Roos joins cricketers Richie Benaud, Fred Spofforth, league player Dally Messenger and union player Trevor Allan in the collection of sculptures at the SCG.
Paul Roos
Roos debuted for the Fitzroy Football Club in 1982, and played until the end of the 1994 season before joining the Swans in 1995. In his time at Fitzroy he captained the side 122 times, was runner up in the Brownlow medal in 1986 and was also named in the Fitzroy team of the century. He was named as part of the All-Australian team seven times throughout his career.
Roos played for the Swans between the years of 1995 and 1998, playing 87 games and kicking 19 goals. He was also one the Swans’ best in the 1996 AFL Grand Final loss to North Melbourne.
Roos retired after the 1998 season and took over the head coaching role at the Swans midway through the 2002 season. During his time as coach, Roos took the Swans to seven consecutive finals appearances from 2002 to 2008, including two grand finals, including the Club’s 2005 Premiership win.
