Swans to honour club greats
Sydney's ex-skipper Paul Kelly mightn't share current captain Brett Kirk's love of meditation, but their approaches to playing AFL are the same.
Give it everything you've got.
It says so on a plaque on the change-room wall at the SCG, where Kelly describes himself as "a bloke that had a go".
"I'm glad I'm not playing now," Kelly laughed on Tuesday as he launched the club's inaugural Hall of Fame dinner to be held at Melbourne's Crown Casino on July 18.
"It (yoga) was half in when I was here (1990-2002). There's still debate whether it's good or bad.
"It's individuals isn't it? I like the ice baths.
"You might leave me out of the yoga."
Kelly, a plumber and father of five from Wagga, came to Sydney with little idea about the club's history and no concept of the potential burden of taking on the No.14 jersey, previously worn by triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton.
Kelly went on to win his own Brownlow in 1995, despite coming from a rugby league background.
"When I came to the Swans they hadn't been here that long and we were sort of all over the shop a little bit anyway," Kelly recalled.
"With Roosy (coach Paul Roos), the culture and the history is jammed into the kids as soon as they get drafted.
"They are sat down and shown videos and 'this is who we are, this is who went before us and make sure you know it'."
Four-time club champion Kelly's name is prominent in this induction and the 39-year-old is clearly chuffed.
"It's great. I didn't appreciate it really until the last couple of years when you are looking from the outside and you sort of realise what you did and who you were and that sort of stuff," he said.
"When you are doing it, you are just doing it mate. You are trying to be as good as you can be that week."
Kelly said the club's 2007 dinner to celebrate 25 years in Sydney was "the best footy function I've been to". He said next month's event will be another landmark occasion for the Swans.
From a list of about 1500 players who have played for the club since 1874, selectors have trimmed their squad to 90.
The number of inaugural inductees hasn't been announced but Kelly is keen to see the AFL's all-time leading goalkicker Tony Lockett honoured.
"I often get asked who was the best player I played with. Tony Lockett would be my pick," Kelly said.
"People were coming to watch Plugger. He was dragging them in.
"I don't think we've had that since then."
Skilton says he's thrilled at the way the football world now regards the Swans, who are 10th on the ladder and shooting for a seventh successive finals campaign.
"The thing that I'm proudest of our club now is for the first time, as far as I'm concerned in my lifetime, we are now respected as a football club," Skilton said on Tuesday.
"Other clubs have chosen to copy the way we've gone about it. Our cultures and whatever else."
Skilton said he loves watching gritty midfielder Kirk, describing him as the game's best on-field leader.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/swans-to-honour-club-greats/2009/06/16/1244918030437.html
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I love Paul Kelly and really miss seeing him play. The man was everything the Swans want to stand for and is a big reason why the Swans have such a great culture even to this day.
Sydney's ex-skipper Paul Kelly mightn't share current captain Brett Kirk's love of meditation, but their approaches to playing AFL are the same.
Give it everything you've got.
It says so on a plaque on the change-room wall at the SCG, where Kelly describes himself as "a bloke that had a go".
"I'm glad I'm not playing now," Kelly laughed on Tuesday as he launched the club's inaugural Hall of Fame dinner to be held at Melbourne's Crown Casino on July 18.
"It (yoga) was half in when I was here (1990-2002). There's still debate whether it's good or bad.
"It's individuals isn't it? I like the ice baths.
"You might leave me out of the yoga."
Kelly, a plumber and father of five from Wagga, came to Sydney with little idea about the club's history and no concept of the potential burden of taking on the No.14 jersey, previously worn by triple Brownlow Medallist Bob Skilton.
Kelly went on to win his own Brownlow in 1995, despite coming from a rugby league background.
"When I came to the Swans they hadn't been here that long and we were sort of all over the shop a little bit anyway," Kelly recalled.
"With Roosy (coach Paul Roos), the culture and the history is jammed into the kids as soon as they get drafted.
"They are sat down and shown videos and 'this is who we are, this is who went before us and make sure you know it'."
Four-time club champion Kelly's name is prominent in this induction and the 39-year-old is clearly chuffed.
"It's great. I didn't appreciate it really until the last couple of years when you are looking from the outside and you sort of realise what you did and who you were and that sort of stuff," he said.
"When you are doing it, you are just doing it mate. You are trying to be as good as you can be that week."
Kelly said the club's 2007 dinner to celebrate 25 years in Sydney was "the best footy function I've been to". He said next month's event will be another landmark occasion for the Swans.
From a list of about 1500 players who have played for the club since 1874, selectors have trimmed their squad to 90.
The number of inaugural inductees hasn't been announced but Kelly is keen to see the AFL's all-time leading goalkicker Tony Lockett honoured.
"I often get asked who was the best player I played with. Tony Lockett would be my pick," Kelly said.
"People were coming to watch Plugger. He was dragging them in.
"I don't think we've had that since then."
Skilton says he's thrilled at the way the football world now regards the Swans, who are 10th on the ladder and shooting for a seventh successive finals campaign.
"The thing that I'm proudest of our club now is for the first time, as far as I'm concerned in my lifetime, we are now respected as a football club," Skilton said on Tuesday.
"Other clubs have chosen to copy the way we've gone about it. Our cultures and whatever else."
Skilton said he loves watching gritty midfielder Kirk, describing him as the game's best on-field leader.
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/swans-to-honour-club-greats/2009/06/16/1244918030437.html
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I love Paul Kelly and really miss seeing him play. The man was everything the Swans want to stand for and is a big reason why the Swans have such a great culture even to this day.
He was such an inspiration and very courageous too. Unfortunately the latter part of his career was hampered with a few injuries, IIRC it was after he did his knee against Port.
) Ironically against Richmond as well, it was at the SCG on a Friday night (we won by 60 points i think), but Kelly was out on the lead around 55-60m out and he sort of knw the ball was going over his head and turned and ran, but the Richmond player was sucked into the ball. It went over his head too, but Kelly had turned and ran back to where the ball was going, swooped on it, and drilled it from 45m out on the boundry. I got a good look at it too i was sitting front row on the boundry and it was a beauty.
