The Swans farewelled Michael O’Loughlin, Leo Barry and Jared Crouch with an eight-point loss to the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night, leaving Brett Kirk as the last of the club’s veterans.
“I always said I’d like to keep going with most of those guys. Kirky’s going to be the last of those 30-plus group and I think there’s a new frontier coming in,” Roos said after the game.
“I was really keen to stay involved to see the transition with those young guys and I think the time’s right at the end of next year with all of those [older] guys leaving.
“I’ve had a close relationship with all three of the boys who finished tonight, so I think it’s an appropriate time. I’ve got one more year to go and they’ve ridden off into the sunset.”
O’Loughlin (four goals) and Barry, in particular, were influential throughout the game and Roos said all three retirees were still capable of playing at the highest level.
However, the demands of the modern game and the relatively small squads dictated that they needed to move on.
“You could see by the end of the game, Mick was just exhausted and the same for Crouchy and Leo. I think that’s the tell-tale sign for them. They gave everything in that game and now they’re just exhausted,” Roos said.
“Now, if there’s an extended bench, I think all three of them are good enough to keep on playing, but not every game and not with the current rotation system.
“Probably one of the drawbacks of only having one on the bench and having small list sizes of 38 is that you will see those guys retiring under the current circumstances… at this particular time in their careers.”
The Swans trailed by 39 points during the third term and the Swans coach praised his players’ efforts to drag themselves to within a point late in the final quarter.
Roos conceded the game was a reflection of an unfulfilling season but he was reluctant to dwell on the negatives on what was a night of celebration for the club.
“You can analyse the game but it’s all about Mick and Leo and Jared tonight. The game’s finished and obviously the players are disappointed but they’ll celebrate a great career,” he said.
“We’ve played really good footy over the last six weeks against teams that are all going to play in the finals. We’re in good form but we haven’t clearly won enough games.
“The future looks pretty bright… but it’s really the players’ night tonight.”
