Dennis Carroll
1981-1993
219 games
117 goals
Captain 1986-1992
All-Australian 1986
Swans Team of the Century

In the timeless novel The Alchemist, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho says,' To realise one's destiny is a person's only obligation.' For Dennis Carroll, it was always football.

For most aspiring sportspeople, imagining a world where they play alongside the greats is fun but fanciful. Growing up in the Riverina, Carroll's Dad, Dooley, and Uncle Tom helped make that dream attainable with their time spent at St Kilda and Carlton, respectively.

"When I arrived at South Melbourne, it wasn't like I was overawed because I had this lifelong dream of being in the environment," Carroll said. "But, I had a real sense of excitement being there. Training with guys I'd seen on TV and all the boys recruited from our local area was really exciting."

"I was certainly going to make the most of the opportunity. I'd been at boarding school from a young age and then worked as a bank Johnny, so moving to Melbourne wasn't a problem. I was somewhere I'd dreamed of being for many years and really enjoyed it."

It was 1981.

That year's events left many deep, emotional wounds, some of which have never healed. But the reality of the club's situation drove the only feasible outcome.

South Melbourne was in financial ruin, and the economic necessity of the club's relocation proposal meant that the VFL's goal of creating a Sydney-based team would come to fruition. The League's president, Dr Allen Aylett, hailed the move as one 'that would alter the course of football history.'

Territory matters, and territory-seeking often causes conflict. The Swans flew north with an ambition fuelled by the League's assurances. And, the move came with pressure, as they realised when the first home match at the SCG arrived.

"The build-up to that first match was monumental," Carroll recalled. "But there was no way we were ever going to lose that game, and there were certainly some great celebrations after."

As Carroll's career blossomed, his skilled yet hard-nosed approach won him many admirers. While the Swans struggled through the early years in Sydney, the sense of togetherness, mixed with adventure, shone through.

These pioneers changed the course of Australian sport. And they did so through perseverance. Falsehoods, broken promises, and roadblocks threatened to derail the code's venture north but Carroll and his mates remained steadfast.

By June 1985, it had been decided that the League's preferred option was to pursue private ownership of the Swans. A consortium fronted by Dr. Geoffrey Edelsten won the bid, but among the players, feelings were mixed.

"It was just a continuation of change," Carroll said.

"We'd had some fantastic coaches, but it was just a revolving door. It was a shock when Rick Quade stepped aside – we understood the reasons later. Then we really warmed to Bob Hammond, with Johnny Northey, we thought there was a real possibility of some success, then the next thing we know, Tom Hafey's on the doorstep."

With an unprecedented influx of star players, the team took on an entirely new complexion. A balance needed to be struck to engage the established stars with fresh talent; strong leadership was paramount.

The night before the 1986 season launch, Carroll received a call from football manager Ron Thomas and coach Tom Hafey. Without any prior warning, they told him he'd been appointed captain. And so, as he always has, he got to work.

"Initially, I took that as a surprise but an incredible honour. I saw my role as leading by example. The challenge and opportunity was to make sure that the new influx of players would connect and meld with the current players. That did happen rather organically, and winning created a sense of unity and enjoyment, too."

The captaincy agreed with Carroll; in 1986, he produced the best football of his career. Playing across half-back, he used his supreme marking judgment to perfection, launching attacking raids from the defensive half with his trademark long drop-punts.

Cruelly, though, a knee injury sustained in the final match of the home-and-away season meant Carroll missed the finals. In a seemingly innocuous incident, he strained the PCL in his right knee, and his season was over. Without their leader, the Swans narrowly lost their two finals, left lamenting what might have been.

The 1987 season brought a similar run of form, and Carroll finally played finals football. Unfortunately, the team had run out of steam, losing heavily in both matches. Despite not reaching their ultimate goal, the Swans of 1986-87 are highly regarded as one of the most entertaining teams in the club's history. Across three weeks in '87, they kicked record-breaking scores of 201, 236, and 198 points.

"It was a real pleasure to captain the club and to ride that wave of relative success. I have fantastic memories of that team, but the most disappointing part of it all is how it fell away so quickly."

In short, the private ownership group in control went broke, with disastrous consequences. Cars were repossessed, with players either let go or owed substantial amounts of money, and the opportunity to consolidate was lost. Carroll equates it to putting a roof on a house without any structural foundation, and by 1992, it had all but crumbled.

That was also the year Carroll retired. For many reasons, including his drive and dedication, Carroll found the transition from playing straightforward.

"I was fortunate enough to be offered the reserve grade coaching role, which was a part-time position, which I did from '93-'97. And, actually, the opportunity came up for the senior coaching position, which ultimately Rodney Eade secured."

Carroll considered the option of full-time coaching, but the commitment to travel and potentially move interstate with a young family settled in Sydney, did not appeal. He then took on another part-time role, for another four years, as the club's Chairman of Selectors.

“It took me eight years to be fully weaned off the club,” Carroll laughed.

Very few, if any, have experienced the lifespan of the Sydney Swans in the way Dennis Carroll has. A selfless club contributor for 40 years, Carroll is a highly respected figure within the Swans and across the code. From his 131 matches as captain to his 12 years in player welfare, his influence is profound.

“Whether playing or in my other roles, I just gave it everything I had, and it was always something I just really enjoyed doing.”

“There were challenges, there were difficulties, but there were so many great, rewarding times. My overarching feeling is one of thanks and gratefulness for being at a club that just is what it is. I was very fortunate that people at the club saw a skill set that could complement what was already there, and hopefully, my time spent in different roles made the place slightly better.”

There's absolutely no doubt it did.