Barassi's influence on Swans

**royboy42** · 12th April 2013, 10:22 AM

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** · 12th April 2013, 10:49 AM

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...

**royboy42** · 12th April 2013, 11:01 AM

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!

**Sandridge** · 12th April 2013, 03:41 PM

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.

**ScottH** · 12th April 2013, 03:44 PM

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

**dawson** · 12th April 2013, 04:25 PM

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!

**wolftone57** · 12th April 2013, 05:00 PM

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.

**wolftone57** · 12th April 2013, 05:01 PM

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.

**CJK** · 12th April 2013, 05:10 PM

Who?

**wolftone57** · 12th April 2013, 05:19 PM

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.

**BeeEmmAre** · 12th April 2013, 05:28 PM

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!