Paul Roos Biography

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has laughed off comments from Sydney premiership hero Paul Roos, who believes Carlton's reserves side in the 1980s would beat the current-day Kangaroos.

"You're an easy target when you're sitting on the ladder where we are, so you just roll with the punches," Clarkson said.

"All of us have been part of (struggling) sides ... whether we've coached them or whether we've played in them.

"I thought 'Roosy' might have been one of those too, but obviously not."

Paul Roos suggests priority picks should be scrapped in favour of giving struggling clubs immediate access to mature players via a supplementary list.

"All of a sudden, they help you in the short term and you might turn out with an All Australian defender (Rampe) and a Brownlow medallist (Matthew Priddis, who was drafted at 21)," Roos said.

"They're the kids that can make a difference to your footy club immediately and they're the kids that are getting lost in the system.

"You're picking them from the VFL, SANFL, WAFL and the NEAFL, and you could unearth some absolute superstars who would never have got an opportunity to play AFL football."

Paul Roos uses his farewell speech at Melbourne's best and fairest presentation to take a cheeky shot at Richmond after its week of upheaval.

Roos said the emergence of a disgruntled supporter group seeking to overthrow the Tigers' board would only breed disharmony.

"Hopefully this doesn't make a headline tomorrow, and it's not the point of it, but I think what we saw yesterday (Monday) was a club that is in some disarray in the Richmond Football Club," Roos said.

"There hasn't been a footy club that has been through as much as the Melbourne Football Club, but we've never got to the point where we've had breakaway groups, past players, etc., thinking they can overthrow boards.

"That's credit to every single person who has followed the Melbourne Football Club over the last six or seven years."

Jack Viney says Melbourne's players let down Paul Roos after an 111-point thrashing from Geelong in the departing coach's final game in charge.

"It's a terrible way to send him off (in his) last game," Viney said.

"The boys couldn't band together to dish up a positive result. A good four-quarter effort wasn’t there today and it makes it even more disappointing that was Roosy's farewell game."

As he prepares to coach his final game for Melbourne, Paul Roos says the Demons' regeneration after hitting rock bottom provides a blueprint for other struggling clubs to follow.

"It doesn't happen overnight, just because you put one person in a role. Everyone's got to embrace it and it takes time, and you've got to build it from the ground up," Roos said.

"Hopefully we've got a foundation moving forward to go into a sustained period of success."

Paul Roos says he is offended when supporters question his commitment to coaching Melbourne and believes the club is covered in a "veil of negativity".

The 14th-placed Demons suffered a 23-point defeat to Carlton last Sunday after the Blues piled on 10 goals to two in the first half.

Roos said he received a barrage of emails from frustrated club supporters after the loss and was annoyed when people questioned whether he was emotionally invested in the job.

"The things I take offence to in the emails are not about how the team played (but) it's when people say, 'You need to show more commitment'. We [the coaches] think about football 24-7," Roos told Fox Footy.

"People that send emails, that's fine, I don't have a problem with it, they go to work … and I know it's hard for them and the bloke comes up and rips (into) them.

"(But) it's actually offensive when people say, 'Does it really hurt?'"

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says he believes the Demons tanked in 2009, but says it won't happen again under his watch.

"Tanking has put the club where it is," Roos said.

"If we want to be in the same position in eight years, then I will tank because we're seven years down the path and we have not recovered as a club from that era.

"The carrot was there and we all know that teams were playing for ladder positions in reverse order.

"Half of the footy world thought it was good management, including myself, but having taken over the club now that was involved in it, I can look back now and say it won't happen again."

Melbourne coach Paul Roos expresses his frustration over the interpretation of the rules of the game after the Demons lose by 6-points to the Western Bulldogs.

"What can I say? What I'll say is I don't know the rules," Roos said post-match.

"The Bulldogs deserved to win today – they played better – but in terms of the laws, I don't really have a clue what they are any more."

Football should change its name to 'zoneball' if the AFL introduces zones to combat congestion, according to Melbourne coach Paul Roos.

Former West Coast coach John Worsfold said on Monday introducing zones had been raised at a recent Laws of the Game committee meeting but it was considered, at this stage, an impractical solution.

Roos laughed at the suggestion, saying if it was introduced, the game would be so different it should not be called football anymore.

"If we want to keep it as football we keep it as football. If we want to play a different game then you call it something else and we'll play a different game," Roos said.

"We can have two games – one Australian Rules Football and have one called zoneball – that is a great idea."

Paul Roos has ruled out coaching the Demons beyond 2016, but says he wants to stay involved with the club in a different role.

"I've really enjoyed the footy club and I've really enjoyed the players," Roos said.

"There may be some other different role that we come up with, (but) in terms of the pure coaching and the senior coaching, the three years will see me out."

A frustrated Paul Roos has suggested the AFL's umpiring department should notify clubs each week of their particular areas of focus.

Roos said the number of rule and interpretation changes were causing confusion and it was making it difficult to work out why some free kicks were being paid.

"If there is a weekly email from the umpires saying 'look we feel the umpires are umpiring really well [on] this, this and this but we feel like the 50-metre penalty or hands in the back rule [needs focus]," Roos said.

"Let's not call it 'the rule of the week' but say the umpires are refocusing on something."

Michael Voss says he was sacked as Brisbane Lions coach because the club decided to step up its ultimately futile pursuit of Paul Roos.

"Here was a definite play for the club to go after Roosy and he was well down the track for another football club," Voss said.

"The club was very keen to have him on board, and to do that I needed to not be in the position. They made that decision, and I only knew bits and pieces of what was going on."

Melbourne chief executive Peter Jackson says Paul Roos' successor as coach of Melbourne will be determined by the end of the 2014 season.

"I don't want to put pressure on Roosy or start getting into some public debate about will be here for two or three years," Jackson said.

"I just want him to be really happy about the decision he's made coming to work each day and knowing he's done the right thing.

"If we do that for most of this year I think the rest will take care of itself."

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says the club is heading in the right direction but is in for some hard times ahead.

"I honestly don't know how many games we're going to win this year. The only commitment I'll give you is that we are heading in the right direction," Roos said at the club's Annual General Meeting at the MCG.

"I have no doubt, whatsoever, that we are heading in the right direction. I have no doubt, whatsoever, that we will get there at some point. We're up for the fight and at some point we'll win the fight."

New Demons coach Paul Roos says he is prepared for a season of heavy media scrutiny in his first year at the club.

"We're going to cop some whacks in the head from the media and fans and probably that's my main role, to absorb that for the players, absorb that for the other coaches so they can get on with their job," Roos said.

Newly appointed Melbourne coach Paul Roos lures North Melbourne assistant coach Brett Allison to join his coaching team at the Swans.

Allison worked as development coach at the Swans for nine years that largely coincided with Roos' 2002-10 coaching reign.

Paul Roos signs a two-year deal to become head coach of Melbourne but says it is a short-term appointment, revealing the club would seek a senior assistant coach as part of a succession plan.

"I would love to hold another cup up, but it's about setting these guys a path so that they know that for the next … five to seven years who there senior coach will be. It'll be me and then someone else," Roos said.

"That's the thing that really appealed to me - to get in and do the hard yards, take a few knocks along the way, which is fine, work with an outstanding player group, and try and set some standards, and try and win some games of football.

"If there's success in the two or three years, well and good. If there's not, I guarantee there will be after that. And if someone else takes the glory, that's fine by me."

Lions chairman Angus Johnson says the lure of Paul Roos was not the catalyst behind coach Michael Voss' dismissal.

"His availability or non-availability played absolutely no role in the decision making process with Michael Voss," Johnson said.

"I know there's been comment contrary to that, but I was in the board meeting, I was heavily involved in the process, and there was absolutely no way in the world we were going to make a decision on Michael Voss on the belief we could appoint Paul Roos to be senior coach, when he's said on more than one occasion that he's not interested in coaching."

Lions chairman Angus Johnson confirms that the club will be making contact with Paul Roos following the decision not to renew Michael Voss' contract as coach.

"We're going to be contacting Paul Roos, but Paul is not the only person we'll be speaking to," Johnson said.

"We felt we needed a fresh approach. We took the decision Vossy had taken the group as far as we believed he could and it was time to make a change."

Paul Roos maintains that he has no plans to coach in 2014 despite strong interest from Melbourne and Brisbane.

"I've certainly thought a lot more about it because it's a lot more in the news and I've had a lot more discussion about it, but at this stage I just haven't got my head around it," Roos said.

I've spoken to them both briefly ... I've said no both times. They can keep asking and I'll keep giving an answer."

Paul Roos admits he has been approached by Melbourne with an offer to coach the Demons but says he is not currently interested in the role.

"You have to be careful in making closed statements," Roos said.

"I can't tell you what I'm going to be doing next year or the year after.

"All I can tell you is Peter [Jackson] and I had a good discussion ... at the moment, I said to him there's no interest in me coaching a football club."

As pressure mounts on Demons coach Mark Neeld, Paul Roos says he has no interest in taking over the job.

"It doesn't interest me, I enjoy what I'm doing so in the here and the now I just can't see myself doing it", Roos said.

"If you do it just for money then I'm the wrong coach."

Barry Hall has revealed in a new book that the manner of his departure from the Swans midway through 2009 caused him to lose respect for then Sydney coach Paul Roos.

"Look, I stuffed up - no arguments, no complaints - but I did lose a bit of respect for [Paul Roos] for not having the decency to call me personally," Hall says.

"And look, I don't blame anyone for the outcome which did occur, either - I think it was inevitable after the Rutten incident - but the way it was done did leave a sour taste in my mouth."

Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos has declared his AFL coaching days over despite media speculation that he may be linked to the Crows' coaching vacancy.

"I don't want to coach ever again. I can't see myself doing it," Roos said.

"My view has changed a little bit from the time I left the Swans. Then I thought, I might go back one day, but I'm enjoying what I'm doing so much these days that coaching isn't something I'm thinking about doing ever again.

"I'm not interested in coaching Adelaide or any other AFL side, so I'm definitely not putting myself forward for any coaching roles."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says he walks away from the role with no regrets after coaching his last game in a semi final loss to the Bulldogs.

"When I played and I finished my career I knew it was time to leave and that's the way I feel now," Roos said when asked if he would easily be able to let go.

"I think I've given it my all this year and I think the players have given it their all and now it's time to do something else. I think that's a good barometer of whether you've made the right or wrong decision. I don't sit here now with any regrets whatsoever."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos has labelled Jason Akermanis' comments about gay footballers 'irresponsible and bizarre'.

"Football clubs are very different environments. Locker room nudity is an everyday part of our lives and unlike any other work place," Roos wrote in a column for News Limited.

"I believe it would cause discomfort in that environment should someone declare himself gay."

Paul Roos will coach the Swans in 2010 before handing over to assistant John Longmire as part of the club's succession plan.

"John is an outstanding candidate for a senior coach and we've always talked about hopefully having some sort of succession plan and promoting from within," Roos said.

"We believe in our culture, we believe in our players and we believe in what they've done. We want to keep passing that down to the next senior coach."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says Adam Goodes can improve his already stellar reputation with a move to the forward line.

"Where he's played his best football has been as a midfielder but if you looked at his game last weekend against Richmond, he had seven shots at goal [as a key forward] and really dominated that position," he said.

"He can have an enormous impact over the next two or three years if we continue to play him in that role."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos calls for "day to remember" on club stalwart Michael O'Loughlin's 300th milestone game.

O'Loughlin will become the first Swan to play 300 games against Richmond at the MCG.

"It is important that the club puts on a show for Micky O as he is a club legend," Roos.

"He has been a stalwart of the club for many a year. We want to make it a day to remember, and it is a very proud day for the club."

Paul Roos has paid tribute to Ted Richards who was taken to hospital after a heavy collision with teammate Craig Bolton and Carlton's Brendan Fevola.

"He really is a courageous player but unfortunately things like that happen from time to time and I'm sure Teddy would agree with that," Roos said.

"But it was a courageous act and the real positive is that he's okay and hopefully he's up and about soon."

Once interested in Brendan Fevola, Sydney now says it will not seek the Blue forward.

"If Brendan Fevola was available for trade last year, would we have been interested, yeah, we would have been," Swans coach Paul Roos said.

But asked whether the club would go after Fevola again, Roos said: "As I sit here now, no, because he's signed up for three years.

"We've got Jesse White, we've got Lewis Johnston ... so in our own minds as we sit here now, no, he certainly doesn't come into our thinking."

Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse says he will not chase Barry Hall next year.

"If Paul Roos and Brett Kirk can't the get the best out of a bloke, and he's prepared to move with those blokes - who I have the highest admiration for - then I am not about to take that on," Malthouse said.

Barry Hall decided to quit the Sydney Swans, effective immediately.

"The decision I have made is not just about me. It is about this football club, my teammates, my family, my partner and my close friends," Hall said.

"Ultimately they have suffered grief over some of my wrongdoings and I have to take them into consideration."

Sydney coach Paul Roos paid tribute to the full forward for his ability to turn a game.

"It is definitely a sad day for the Sydney Swans Football Club - one of our greatest ever players has decided to retire - but I also think it must be a time of celebration, to reflect on what has been an outstanding career," Roos said.

"As his coach for the last six years, I will remember Hally as one of the genuine superstars of the game; his ability to be a match winner enabled him to take us to the level of the 2005 Premiership.

"His consistent performance over those six years has allowed him to be not only a premiership captain, but a club best and fairest, an All-Australian, a life member and a multiple leading goalkicker at this footy club."

The Swans win a gritty match against North Melbourne by 15 points without suspended forward Barry Hall.

"Everyone knows, including Barry, what he has done, but he's very popular and he's very affable and he's easy to like," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

"He comes in, he does the training. So really for the players it wasn't that big an issue."

Paul Roos says he doesn't have to make too many adjustments to deal with the absence of Barry Hall after the key forward was suspended for striking.

"We might have to put one of our key defenders forward, which is okay, and Mick has obviously played up there a lot as well. It won't be a huge adjustment," Roos said.

"Hally basically plays as a centre half-forward so we've just got to find a centre half-forward that plays a similar role."

Swans coach Paul Roos says the club won't be rushed into a decision on the future of suspended forward Barry Hall as it strives to reach a positive outcome for all parties.

"We love him and whatever happens, we'll certainly take into consideration Barry Hall as well as the footy club," Roos said.

"What we don't want to happen is for either party to walk away bitter or for something happen and that's why we're going to take our time with the process."

Paul Roos has raised the possibility of Barry Hall retiring following his striking incident on the weekend.

"I'm probably sick of standing here talking about it," Roos said.

"At some point, always the club is bigger than the individual.

"We're all frustrated. We're all disappointed and we all had hoped it would stop.

"But clearly, it hadn't.

"The first part of the process is obviously the tribunal so we'll let that take its course. His actions clearly don't display that he does want to play.

"So that will be part of the discussion that we'll have with him."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos is 'confused' by the behaviour of Barry Hall during Adelaide clash after Hall threw a punch at Adelaide's Ben Rutten.

"Where we're more confused this year is that everything seems to be going really well," he said.

"Everyone comments about how well he's going off the field, and anyone that saw him before the game on Saturday felt that he was in really good spirits.

"Nothing I've heard this year has led me to believe that things like this would happen or the Hawthorn game would happen."

Swans coach Paul Roos rates Michael O'Loughlin as one of the best people he has been involved with in football.

The 32-year-old, with 293 games to his name, announced on Tuesday that 2009 would be his final year of AFL football. He is set to become the club's first 300-game player by playing out the season.

"The thing that we all at the Swans family will remember Mick for is just being Mick," Roos said.

"It's always hard to talk to a group when a player retires but today was as hard as it's been for me because of my relationship with Mick, and also what Mick means to us as a person. He's a great footballer but he's also a fantastic person."

Sydney coach Paul Roos says volatile forward Barry Hall's three consecutive 50-metre penalties was the turning point in the Swans' narrow loss to Hawthorn.

"I think clearly that's the turning point in the game," Roos said after the game.

"You could sit here and we could dream up fictional reasons or you could get to the source of the problem and that was clearly a massive turning point in the game."

Paul Roos praises defensive and tackling work of spearhead Barry Hall after a five-goal haul against West Coast.

"With 'Hally', what he's probably got to keep focusing on is that physical stuff," Roos said.

"When guys are closer to the end than the start, sometimes they do tend to focus on things like marks, kicks and handballs.

"I think if he just keeps focusing on that chase and the tackle, he will be an impact player for us.

"We're not too worried about how many goals he kicks. Provided he puts that pressure on every single week, he's going to be a good player for us."

Nick Malceski has become the first experienced Swans star to suffer coach Paul Roos' axe, as Sydney tries to bring its stop-start season to life.

"We need to get Mal into a bit of form," Roos said.

"He's been training really well, it just hasn't been transferring over into his games.

"I spoke to him on Tuesday and we were both scratching our heads because he hasn't been playing that bad.

"But I think he's looking forward to getting out there on the weekend and running more with the ball."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says he may shield Canadian recruit Mike Pyke from facing West Coast ruckman Dean Cox.

"We've got to be careful with him. Throwing him in against Dean Cox at this stage is probably just a bit big an ask for him," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

"I thought he was good last week, so it certainly wouldn't be a form thing but an educational thing. We need to make sure he doesn't go backwards in his footy education."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos unconcerned about 'obsession' with the lack of output from spearhead Barry Hall.

"I haven't analysed Barry's game because I don't think I need to analyse Barry's game," Roos said.

"He's an easy media target. I think we just understand that. Last week he had four shots at goal and everyone was raving about how well Barry Hall was going.

"If it becomes a weekly obsession, it can be a weekly obsession outside the club but internally, it's really not an issue for us at all."

Swans coach Paul Roos expects AFL clubs to widen their recruiting scope after Canadian rugby convert Mike Pyke makes his debut.

"Mike would say it himself - he's not the only six-foot-six athletic guy running around in the world today who's possibly looking for a sport," Roos said.

"I don't think it's going to spark a mass interest of people coming but I think it will spark some interest from a lot of clubs in Australia to look offshore.

"Particularly with two new teams coming in, there's a lot of incentive to do different things at the moment."

Swans coach Paul Roos is disappointed his players couldn't rise to the occasion against Fremantle in Brett Kirk's 200th game.

"One of the main disappointments for the night was that we couldn't win for Kirky," Roos said.

"He was the one that had to put us on his shoulders again and some of the guys would be disappointed in their performance based on what Brett has given the footy club.

"He had to rally the troops again and it was disappointing we didn't win for his milestone.

"A lot of the guys owed it to Brett to fly the flag better than we did, particularly in the first half."

Pressure on Sydney players to hold their spots is virtually non-existent as coach Paul Roos says there are about 26 fit men in the senior squad.

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says senior players must shoulder the blame for the side's inconsistency after a stuttering start to 2009.

Following a victory over Hawthorn, Sydney coach Paul Roos feels his support for Brett Kirk is vindicated after receiving an angry letter from a supporter.

The supporter had demanded that Kirk's file be marked permanently.

"I was tempted to write back last week, but I think I'll just let the stats and his performance tell the story," Roos said.

"I'm hoping that supporter saw his performance against the Hawks. I'd rate it as one of his best 15 games he's ever played for this football club.

"You've got to remember Brett Kirk has featured in our best-and-fairest for the past six years and is a premiership player."

Swans coach Paul Roos will ask the AFL to clarify the rules on umpire contact after co-captain Brett Kirk was reported.

Staunch anti-drugs campaigner and Swans coach Paul Roos has backed his former player Peter Everitt for going public with his concerns about drugs in football.

Everitt, who played for St Kilda from 1993-2002, Hawthorn from 2003-'06 and the Swans from 2006-'08, said he had twice been offered drugs during his football career.

Paul Roos reveals that he would almost certainly leave the Swans, and coaching, when his contract expires in 2011.

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead will be remembered as two of the all-time great forwards.

"Roughead and Franklin are still young, but I'd suggest at the end of their careers, you're going to be looking back on two pretty good forwards," Roos said.

"Dunstall and Brereton [and] Longmire and Carey were a good combination but I think Roughead and Franklin are going to stack up favourably once their careers are finished."

Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says he is still unclear how the new rushed behind rule will be interpreted.

Sydney coach Paul Roos believes it would be an over-reaction to introduce into the premiership season the rushed behind rule.

Sydney coach Paul Roos has indicated Jesse White has the edge over former Canadian rugby international Mike Pyke in the race to be the club's No. 1 ruckman.

Sydney coach says the AFL's desire to speed up the game has been catalyst behind defence-based football.

Sydney coach Paul Roos has joined the chorus of discontent with the new rushed-behind rule, labelling it "a massive over-reaction".