Originally Posted by
goswannies
I have a number of books on Swans and I�d recommend almost all of them.
For a Helium light read, Capper�s �Fool Forward�. It gives you a bit of an insight in to how his mind ticks.
Tasha Kennelly�s �Unfinished Business� is pretty good and gives an understanding about how difficult his transition was.
Brett Kirk�s �Brave Hart� is more about inspiring (especially young people).
Austin Roberton�s �The Fastest Man Alive� is intriguing regarding a period when VFL foorballer could excell at other sports and details one of our early stars.
Michael O�Loughlin�s �Micky O� is akin to Tadhg�s book, detailing the upheaval of an indigenous talent from SA to Sydney.
Darren Creswell�s �Crezza� is interesting. His football exploits have been forgotten by many, so this book is a wonderful refresher. But it�s his turmultuous life post-Swans (including his prison stint) that really opens eyes.
Tony Lockett has a few �My Life� and �Ironbark Legends Tony Lockett� mostly a chronology of his youth and career, with a bit of an interesting detail about his transition to the Swans.
David Rhys-Jones �Rhys� was interesting about his South Melbourne days and his overall career. Reminded me of Barry Hall in how he, rightly or wrongly, feels misunderstood.
Laurie Nash had a biography �The Great Laurie Nash� by Ned Wallish, an incredible account about the almost unbelievable life of a larger than life individual from Tassie who was the lynchpin of one of our greatest football eras. If VFL/AFL was as popular as NFL bootball in the US, Nash�s life would be recounted in a movie already!
Ian Shaw�s �The Bloodbath: The 1945 VFL Grand Final� is a great account of our last Grand Final appreance for 51 years.
Geoffrey Edelsten �Enigma� to be read with a grain of salt (ok a whole dry lake salt pan of it) but it�s an interesting read about his account of events that led to the Swans privatisation in the mid-80s.
Mark Branagan & Mark Lefebvre�s �The Bloodstained Angets� - ok, I love this period of the Swans history and this is a wonderful account of our Golden Era. It details how the side was assembled, the Swans success and then ultimate demise. Very enlightening.
Mark Fiddian�s �Days by the Lake: A History of the South Melbourne Football Club� is quite a broad (ie relatively sparsely detailed) account of the history of South Melbourne. Good for the novice Swans supporter want to know more about the Club�s origins.
Mark Fiddian�s �The Swanlake Spectacular� is a detailed (if a little dry) account of Soutrh Melbourne�s 1933 premiership. You get to know the incredible stars of an almost unbelievable period.
Jeff Patterson only played a short time with South after joining from the Tigers. In �What a Life� you get a bit about his Swans career, but it�s his post football life that reads like a Hollywood script.
Barry Hall�s �Pulling No Punches� details his careers with the Saints, Swans and Dogs. Plenty of reading to entertain Swans fans here and it�s nice that he takes ownership of some of his indiscretions.
Greg Williams� �Diesel� is interesting in learning about a youth, abundant with talent, but not blessed with the physical attributes of an elite footballer who struggles to make it but when he does has a stellar career (a very significant period of which was in red and white). An enjoyable read that gives a players account of what could have been another golden era for the Swans.
Geoff Craighead another South player who post playing days moved to the US. In his autobiography �TurnAround� there is a little bit about his playing days, but much more about his life beyond football. Not as intesting as the other books here.
Martin Blake�s �The Rise of the Swans: A Decade of Success� the time bookending the Swans 2005 and 2012 premierships.
Jim Main�s �Shake Down The Thunder� details the events that led to the Swans 2005 Premiership.
Jim Main�s �Plugger and the Might Swans�, details the period leading to the Swans first Grand Final appearance in 51 years, in 1996.
Paul Roos �Beyond 300� the first of a few books Roosevelt�s has written. The nice thing about this one is that is very much about his playing career at a time that was acutely Sydney.
Kevin Taylor�s (not our player of the same name) �The Sydney Swans� it gives a bit of early South history, but also a lot about the Swans from the move to Sydney up until its time of publication (late 80s?)
Sally Freud & Mark Cutler�s �The Story of the Swans� is another account of Sydney�s early days leading to the 1996 Grand Final with plenty of interviews with Swans players and administrators.
Ben Collins biography of Norm Smith �The Red Fox� has a wonderful chapter at the back about his career as South�s coach. Enlightening as it was the first of many attempts to lure legends to coach us to try to turn our fortunes around (think Ian Stewart, Des Tudennham, Ron Barassi).
Adam McNicol�s �The Danihers� understandably spends a lot of time discussing The Football Royalty of Essendon. But it al started at South! Worth a read about some of the most unassuming and highly achieving players from a single family in the VFL/AFL.
Kevin Hillier� �Rocket Science� biographies Rodney Eade�s playing and coaching career with a goodly amount spend on his stint at the Swans which was arguably he launchpad for our current successful era.
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