Sure, after bringing the AFL premiership cup to the harbour city for the first time in 2005 with a four-point grand final win over the Eagles, Swans coach Roos would have loved to repeat the dose a year later.

But after West Coast held off a final quarter rally to win by a point, looking back Roos feels sharing the spoils is fitting.

After that grand final the combined margin of the last five Swans-Eagles games was just 12 points, a stretch which also included two qualifying finals.

"You can look back and say we could have won two or they could have," Roos said.

"But over that period our games were so close, and both teams would have been unlucky not to get a premiership out of it.

"I think it added to the credibility of 05 that we were able to come back the following year and get so close. It probably cemented to everyone what a great team we were in that period of time."

Wagga product Schneider was just 21 when he played for Sydney in the 2005 grand final. He would go on to record a heartbreaking grand final loss with St Kilda in 2009, then lost to Collingwood the following year in a replay after the first decider was tied.

"The best thing about it looking back is both teams got to win one. If I was on the end of losing two of those after such an epic rivalry, you'd be shattered and still scarred," he said.

The Swans' midfield was littered with hard nuts like former co-captain Brett Kirk, who would famously dub their clashes with the star-studded Eagles engine room as "the Ford Cortinas against the Ferraris."

Sydney still had plenty of midfield talent, led by dual Brownlow medalist Adam Goodes, but adopted the 'Bloods' culture made famous by their South Melbourne to curb brilliant Eagles Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr.

"I think Kirky coined the phrase the Ferraris versus the Cortinas and he probably didn't give us enough credit. They (Eagles) were loaded with pure talent and we were probably a bit different," Roos said.

"They were incredible match ups, and for whatever reason we matched up very well against the Eagles and their talent. We were at least able to curtail their brilliance.

"The rivalry was pure and played in incredible spirit. I can't remember a fight or anything untoward happening in those games, both teams respected each other enormously."

Schneider added: "We had guys who didn't have as big a profile, but I thought as a team we were fantastic. I think it was the style and the way we played.

"We had some real hard nuts in there like Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton who really tried to slow down their speed and power in the midfield."

Two lines stand out from Sydney's 2005 grand final win that have become part of football folklore.

There's TV commentator Stephen Quartermain exclaiming "Leo Barry, you star!" as Swans defender Leo Barry took a pack mark in the frantic final stages to repel the Eagles.

The second was Roos' passionate hoisting of the cup where he paid homage to South Melbourne, who won their final premiership in 1933 before relocating to Sydney in 1982.

"To the people who have waited 72 years to watch South Melbourne-slash-Sydney Swans win the premiership, here it is!," Roos bellowed to the red and white army.

Roos believes his former team Fitzroy merging with Brisbane, plus losing a grand final with Sydney as a player in 1996 to North Melbourne, helped him appreciate the club's South Melbourne 'Bloods' history.

"When I took over as coach one thing we really wanted to do was go to back to our roots and reconnect to the Bloods," Roos said.

"The grand finals would have to be top five (of all time), not only the quality of the games but the history.

"You look at the Bulldogs in 2016 (when they broke a 62-year flag drought) and us in 2005, from a historical perspective (it was big)."

While he helped break the Swans' drought, Schneider wasn't as lucky finishing his 228-game career at St Kilda.

The Saints lost by two goals to Geelong in 2009 before Schneider featured in the tied grand final against Collingwood, before the Magpies proved far too strong in the replay.

Geelong's win in 2009 stamped their dynasty which included a 119-point grand final belting of Port Adelaide in 2007, and a loss to the Hawks in 2008.

It means the Saints are still waiting to add to their sole premiership in 1966.

"I still have nightmares about it, especially the Geelong grand final because I thought we were probably the better team that year and on game day we didn't quite execute, myself included," Schneider said.

"It's one of those ones you don't want to watch again, but it keeps popping up on TV."

Yet few could begrudge him if Schneider took the chance to sit back and bask in the glory of yesteryear if it were a Swans-Eagles epic on the television screen.

They remain among the greatest grand finals the game has ever seen.