SYDNEY SWANS coach Paul Roos faces some difficult decisions as he decides on the future of several older players in the coming weeks.

The Swans have several players aged 30 or over including Leo Barry, 31, Jared Crouch, 30, Barry Hall, 31, Brett Kirk, 31, and Michael O’Loughlin, 31.

Peter “Spida” Everitt, 34, and Ben Mathews, 29, have retired in the past week.

“We are very open-minded this year, and I am aware that we have some older players, most of which are contracted,” Roos said.

“I think you have to take this week and go through the next couple of weeks before you make some rational decisions.

“The reality is that we have improved on last year. How far away are we from Bulldogs, Hawthorn, St Kilda and Geelong? We just have to assess rationally and make a decision in due course.”

Roos said that the future of players like Barry will have to be carefully considered after the Swans' season came to an end at the hands of the Western Bulldogs last Friday night at the MCG.

“He [Barry] finished off the year really well, and we have to assess our whole list in where we are going and what we think we can do next year,” he said.

“In an ideal world, you like the players to make the decision. So far, under my tenure, I don’t think we have had to force anyone to retire. Both 'Spida' and Benny Mathews have come out, and how many more do I am not sure. I am sure some of the players are thinking about it."

Roos, however, was happy about the performance of most of his older players this year.

“I think the majority of them had pretty good seasons,” Roos said.

“As I said after (last Friday's) game, you just don’t want to go to the bottom of the ladder for the sake of it if you don’t have to. So, there is a lot of thought going into the next two or three weeks, and I think the main thing at the moment is to make rational decisions rather than emotional (ones) after you lose a game of footy.”