Sheedy signing exactly what West Sydney needs
Columnist
By Adrian Musolino, 9 Nov 2009 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- AFL, Essendon, Gold Coast, Karmichael Hunt, Kevin Sheedy, NRL, west sydney, West Sydney AFL, western Sydney
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Kevin Sheedy addresses the media, 2008 - Slattery Images
Kevin Sheedy will coach West Sydney on a three-year appointment that will include the club’s first season in the AFL in 2012. That was the bombshell news delivered by the News Limited press late last night which will have the football world buzzing. The western Sydney AFL project suddenly has wings.
In fact, for many, this will suddenly legitimise the western Sydney adventure.
Sheedy has the charisma and media know how to generate the sort of press and attention needed to raise awareness in the region. As an ambassador and lover of the game, you sense he has the passion and desire to help spread the AFL gospel in rugby league’s heartland.
Like Ron Barassi’s move to Sydney in 1993 to help energize the faltering Swans, Sheedy’s move will help the team, and indeed the code, overcome the unique challenges of the Sydney market, especially in its western frontier.
Sheedy knows how to work the press. He will provide them with the sort of charisma, opinion and personality that the club needs to make an immediate impact. They suddenly have their figurehead, spokesperson, ambassador and coach, all in one package.
More importantly, he has a footballing brain like few in the game. 27 years coaching at Essendon, including four premierships, will mean the club will be able to create a footballing culture off the back of his experience; helping to build solid football foundations.
This is a huge signal of intent by the club and the AFL.
In many ways this move makes more sense than Gold Coast’s snaring of Karmichael Hunt. It certainly can’t be labeled as a publicity stunt, like Hunt’s signature was labelled in certain circles.
Hunt’s success on the Gold Coast depends on his ability to play. Should he fail to make the grade, he will be useless to the club in generating interest. It’s a gamble that could fail miserably.
There’s no question of Sheedy’s ability to perform, and certainly no gamble in this deal.
This doesn’t make western Sydney sudden contenders – it will still be an almighty challenge to create a club from scratch in a region without an AFL culture – but Sheedy will bring the necessary experience to help the club enormously through this process.
Results won’t matter right away; it’ll be how Sheedy is moulding the club from within while helping to build awareness for it in the marketplace.
There is an extra twist here. Sheedy undoubtedly feels as though he has unfinished business in the AFL having stumbled in his final years at Windy Hill.
His legend will only multiply should he help build a winning football culture in the region.
As for the code, they must be doing somersaults at AFL house.
According to News Limited, an AFL official said: “This is a match made in heaven. He is unbelievably excited about taking this on. Others would be daunted walking into rugby league heartland, but he is jumping out of his skin.”
Who can blame them for their excitement?
This is exactly what the code needed for its western Sydney adventure.
Congratulations to all involved.
It could be a defining moment in the AFL’s quest for the west.
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megatron said | November 9th 2009 @ 6:56am | Report comment
Massive news. Makes complete sense. Will pay huge dividends IMO.
Pete said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:28pm | Report comment
I think the Rees government has finally nailed the last nail in the NSW Labor Government’s coffin. How can we upset our core voters (aka RL supporters)? I know lets show public support for the AFL expanding into the RL heartland!! WTF?
I’m a League and Union fan, but I know how much of a legend Sheedy is in AFL. I think its a brilliant move to get interest and discussion around the Western Sydney bid. AS an innocent bystander its appears the AFL rarely put a foot wrong in their expansion plans…
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 7:11am | Report comment
It’s a good fit.
Tom Hafey, who never liked too much “finessing”, would always remind Sheeds when he was coming up with too many grand ideas: Sheeds, don’t forget that you’re just a plumber!!
It’s worthwhile noting that both the NRL and AFL premiership coaches this year were once sparkies (but I guess, once a sparkie, always a sparkie)
BigAl said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:04am | Report comment
Actually it was ” finessin’ ” that Tommy didn’t like too much of ! – the letter ‘g’ just wasn’t in his alphabet.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:06am | Report comment
Big Al
heh heh – you are absolutely right there!!
K B said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:14am | Report comment
And I thought “Grooky” was in his blood….
~~~~~~~
KB
BigAl said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:34am | Report comment
KB . . . that’s pretty well on the mark, what with his instigating of the AFL Idigenous round etc.
In fact, you would be a perfect fit on Sheed’s staff in this new Western Sydney venture, being the the nations leading expert on Grooky !
. . . could be a nice little retirement earner for you.
AndyRoo said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
Imagine The World Game headlines
AFL’s phoney war on Football is over
Forget SEN, Forget CH7 the AFL have declared open warfare on Football by stealing KB. First the kids and now their grand dads departing has sent the FFA deep into crisis talks.
KB tried to play down his switch saying he played Mangroky a couple of times as a kid and had achieved all his goals as a football supporter
“I had seen the boys qualify for the world cup and the birth of the A league, I was ready for a new challenge… plus by moving back to Sydney I can see SFC play their ACL games”
Ben Buckley former AFL man now head of the FFA was unavailable for comment.
K B said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Haffy, Sheedy, Koala Bear — three cranky old men — how could this SW Marn Grooky coup go wrong ?
Dispense with Buckley get Sepp Blatter on the phone this is an emergency — the whole FIFA organisation could crumble when this hits the world news…
Maybe he (KB) could be swayed to change his mind with an offer of a newly proposed Mirvac 25 storey Penthouse at Docklands and a place on the coaching staff to over see the new Hearts FC Franchise win the treble and to go on and defeat Man U in the FIFA world club cup championships — stay turne lads
~~~~~~~
KB
Michael B said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment
I think the title is a bit misleading – It should read – “Sheedy signing exactly what the West Sydney AFL Franchise needs”
Not many locals in West Sydney would know who Kevin Sheedy is, but he’ll bring some personality and character with him, which should ensure that he gets decent air time in the media leading up to their inaugural first game.
What I find surprising is why other Melbourne clubs looked past him as the head coach position, if he’s such a legend?
Freud of Football said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:30am | Report comment
It doesn’t particularly matter if the West Sydney locals know who Kevin Sheedy is right now, they will once he’s had a bit of time, he isn’t one to sit around and twiddle his thumbs.
This is like that AFL Official said and a few have already concurred, “a match made in heaven”. Sheedy will be great because he will be drumming up support long before the first ball is bounced in West Sydney, he’ll be able to build the anticipation unlike any other coach or media team available and before there is even a team there will be a club with Sheedy.
I also wouldn’t anticipate that he will be in the role for more than a couple of years and that they won’t win a flag under him. I can see him bringing a former player on board (perhaps the Canberra lad James Hird) as an assistant and while he breeds the culture, setting up his assistant to take the club to the glory a few years afterwards.
I’m often quick to criticise administrator’s but this is one of the finest moves I’ve seen in a long time.
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Hird would be a good move. Potentially groom him as senior coach once sheedy moves on. Or utilise his brains as a board member. Need to fill off field positions as well as on field with as much NSW/ACT talent as possible. Ex Manly CEO was also a masterstroke.
megatron said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:57am | Report comment
I don’t think Hird has the personality or charisma like a Sheedy
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
No he doesn’t, hence why he has not been recruited…yet…. I am not saying he should be there in place of Sheeds…of course not. But he is a legend of the game. A smart man, a likeable man…and a Canberra product. Makes sense…
Freud of Football said | November 9th 2009 @ 5:53pm | Report comment
Hird doesn’t need the charisma, that is what Sheedy is for, to groom the club, Hird for mine to bring them success on the field, capitilsing on Sheedy’s role as mentor.
Michael B said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:26pm | Report comment
Oh here we go… Once Messiah Sheedy speaks all the non believers will convert.. they will all see the light… please..
amused said | November 9th 2009 @ 5:09pm | Report comment
exactly. i vaguely know who this guy is. and i am somewhat familiar with AFL.
try saying the above article to someone from the western suburbs who could care less about it.
the equivalent would be to claim, “wally lewis coaches melbourne storm, watch melbourne go nuts over league”. nope, never happen.
enujoy your time in sydney Kevin.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
MB
it’s a fair question- I gues clubs rarely look to blokes over 60 as an answer to their problems (a view that unfortunately is replicated right across society in a variety of contexts).
It’s worth remembering that Barass had been out of the game for about 4 seasons, and was over 60 when the Swans came knocking on his door – and that ultimately led to the Swans finding their way out of what were quite dark times – and not necessarily because of what Barass did for them on the training track.
Just to echo your views, you’ll note that I refer to Hafey above, and as it happens, soon after writing that I heard an interview with Hafey on ABC radio.
He supports the idea of Sheeds as coach, but generally speaking is not enthusiastic about a 2nd team in Sydney.
Of course Hafey too had a successful stint in Sydney, but most importantly became a big League fan as a result of that – it’s understandable that he’d have reservations about trying to take on too much in Sydney.
Michael B said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
Pip – so what ur saying is that he’s not actually there for his coaching, but rather to drum up support for the club. He’s obviously too old to be a good coach.. sounds like another PR excercise
Gatto Nero said | November 10th 2009 @ 7:55am | Report comment
Why does everyone assume that once you’re over 60 you’d be a poor coach? There are a heap of older blokes managing successful sporting clubs overseas. Australia = ageist much?
AndyRoo said | November 10th 2009 @ 8:43am | Report comment
That also puzzles me.
In The AFL they have a lot of teams like Fremantle, Demons and Richmond that are struggling and you think they would all be falling over themselves to get an experienced coach but they all want the next young thing…I guess that has been successful for Geelong and Brisbane though.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Michael B
Almost.
I think he will put structures in place – and that will have important long term benefits.
But it’s a three year contract, and if I understand things correctly, only the 3rd year will coincide with one full year of AFL footy, basically the debut season in 2012.
So would summarise it as a mixture of what you just said, and a mixture of laying the foundations for someone to take over in the future.
A parallel might be Cahill coaching Port for the first two years in the AFL – which was about as good an opening two years as anyone could have expected.
Jason Cave said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:13am | Report comment
Imagine what would happen if Kevin Sheedy takes Western Sydney to its first-ever AFL premiership. It would be one of Sheedy’s finest moments-and a huge dagger struck at the heart of the NRL.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:33am | Report comment
Jase
it’s an unlikely scenario.
AndyRoo said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:40am | Report comment
Melbourne storm are proof that is not exactly true. The area hosts 4 league teams, odds are good one of them will be doing well so it will take more than winning to be succesful.
Also if you really want to hurt the NRL make sure they don’t get the $10 and post at
http://www.theroar.com.au/2009/11/04/the-last-word-on-the-code-wars/
instead. If the NRL get their hands on that $10 who knows what damage they could do to the AFL.
On a serious note it will be interesting how Sheedy is treated by the Sydney media. He is very Melbourne but I think he is canny enough to change a little. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few hacks try and set him up to have a go at rugby league.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:55am | Report comment
Damn – I forgot to exclude organisations!
Robbos said | November 9th 2009 @ 8:48am | Report comment
About the same affect as Melbourne Storm winning the NRL premiership had on the heartland of AFL.
I agree On Sheedy’s appointment, most in Sydney don’t know who he is, but to the Sydney media, he would definitely have the highest profile AFL Coach in Sydney & very similar to the affect of the appointment of Barassi for the Swans all those years ago. It will give West Sydney a voice, an ambassador, a high profile AFL person in the media.
Simmo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
If the Swans premiership wasn’t a dagger in the heart of the NRL, why would this team’s be?
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:29am | Report comment
swans are based in an afl area, WS isnt
Simmo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:48am | Report comment
that makes it even less likely
Michael C said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:19am | Report comment
interesting you say “swans are based in an afl area”
I guess either it’s a recognition that there always has been small pockets of Aust Footy surviving (if not thriving!!) in Sydney,
and that the Swans have a loyal South Melbourne ‘bloods’ contingent in AFL ‘heartland’ in Melbourne to ‘boost’ the numbers,
both of which GWS will be without.
Which is why, I guess – one would have to suggest that a merge of a traditional Melb team into GWS at some point within the first 10-15 years must be inevitable…….it provides a ‘cushion’ re memberships etc, as well as an ‘away’ following when playing in Melbourne.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
M1tch may have been referring to the fact that the Swans draw plenty of support from places like Paddington, Darlinghurst and Surrey Hills.
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
yeh, afl is popular in the rich areas ie: eastern and north
and more socially acceptable, flavour on the month
why roosters struggle for a base
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:49am | Report comment
I don’t know if that is a good idea. Worked well for the Swans and Lions to have some support here in melbourne, but for the new teams, I would think people would want them to be 100% QLD and NSW respectively…not “another failed Melbourne team”. They need to identify with this team, hence they should be filled with as many local products both on and off the field.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Good point – the truth is that whether we’re talking about the Storm, or Swans, or whoever – it’s a mighty big heart and a very small dagger – the loss of a couple of drops of blood never hurt anyone.
megatron said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:05am | Report comment
Don’t start talking premierships folk as that is near impossible. Sheedy’s true value will be with the media in building awareness and in an ambassadorial role in the region building the popularity of the game. This is a masterstroke signing
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:06am | Report comment
Well the dream is over, we (Rugby League) is screwed. How will we recover from this? How will we recover from the WS18 franchise signing a former coach?
Lets follow news lts and jump ship to something else.
megatron said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:10am | Report comment
Huh? No one has suggested this is the death of the NRL.
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:19am | Report comment
check news ltd papers
megatron said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
Got ya
Michael C said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Gawd – I love the NewsLtd stirring the pot reporting of this :
DT AFL coup will rock NRL
with language like:
THE phony war is over as the AFL today strikes a deadly blow to NRL heartland
and I’m left wondering whether the phony war was indeed over back when GWS18 was announced,..or, Blacktown oval completed, or K.Hunt signed, or G.Mayer signed or……..
sadly, the Melb HS has gone a little over the top too – - for some reason labelling this a bombshell (really???), and In a blow to rugby league’s heartland and I’m wondering what they won’t describe as a ‘blow’ to Rugby’s ‘heartland’ (which I thought now was somewhere around Suncrop stadium anyway??? (cue Okiee).
In reality – most everyone saw this coming, and we can see a ‘mentor’/apprentice style coaching structure – - – and Sheedy will do fine as a bit of a public face capable of mixing it in the media……..and perhaps buy a nice largish block out at Kellyville??
AndyRoo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Shame on the Daily Telegraph, if your going to claim it’s a war at least use the headline “AFL sends in the Bombers”
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Gawd – how often will we have to read that same headling and opening para?? for the next 20 years??!!
Please God deliver us….
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Maybe Tadgh will be Sheed’s apprentice – and they’ll go with Sydney Celtic afterall???
oikee said | November 9th 2009 @ 2:18pm | Report comment
Seen what coming M.C, look mate, your boss is turning the AFL into the most hated code in the country, in 5 years time when all of Sydney have shown their disgust at AFL, you will just wander back to VFL and that will be the end of it, What War,
As i said the other day, you are wheeling players back from retirement, now you are wheeling a AFL guy, who to be honest, nobody has a clue who he is in Sydney, thats how popular the sport is, and all the reired Expats living in Sydney dont live in the west. Why is anybody worried, its news media trying to beef up a story for AFL. Big news, the guy is in nappies,.
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 3:55pm | Report comment
Why is it that the Sydney press (particularly News Ltd), make this far bigger than what it was in Melbourne. The AFL would be LOVING the images of Sheeds splashed accross the front page of the dailytelegraph.com.au site this morning and early this afternoon, hundreds of comments etc. Kevin who? the NRL masses ask….well they know now…
Gibbo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:11am | Report comment
everyone seems pretty supportive of this, however i’d be pretty keen on him having a reasonably big personality working under him in a hands on assistant role… not sure how ol’ sheeds will go at connecting with the 17/18 year old kids the team will be recruiting.
brilliant marketing move though. the man can work the cameras, and would be apt at diffusing any pressure during their first couple seasons…
mossy said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:16am | Report comment
The only word to describe this is MASSIVE. I go to bed thinking Western Sydney Australkian Football venture is doomed for disaster, I awake with this news and I am now starting to warm to the idea.
Kevin Sheedy will bond with Greater Western Sydney, he is the AFL equivalent of Tommy Raudonikis (plus brains), which means that Team GWS no becomes relevant to the potential fan base. A tough uncompromising player, and as a coach, one who is saturated in charisma. That’s where the similarity ends (except the fact that they do share some similar facial features if you have a good imagination and an empty cask of ‘goon). For Sheedy is coaching brilliance personified and is the perfect match for the bid. He will bring credibility to what would seem on the surface as un-credible hope where it would seem hopeless, and a bond in the un-bondable – it is, as many of Sheedy’s past feats – a masterstroke.
Will it bring initial success on the field? Doubt it. Will it bring fans to the game? Perhaps. Will it mean the difference between immediate flop and longevity? Without a shadow of a doubt.
This decision rubber stamps the future of Team GWS. And as a Swans fan, i am starting to like the sound of the – Battle of Sydney – Bring it on!
AGO74 said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:18am | Report comment
It’s true that it’s a good appointment in terms of profile as Kevin Sheedy has some (but a still very small) name recognition here in Sydney. As for Sheedy the coach, I am no AFL expert so please feel free to correct me – but didn’t his team struggle over the last 5 or so years at Essendon? If so, could a case be made that perhaps his coaching days have past and that the case could instead be more sensible to put him in there as a Director of football/Technical Director or even just as a glorified Marketing Manager to get out there amongst the people of West Sydney with perhaps a younger coach with either more recent success and/or talent in there??
Having said all that, I still can’t to see how West Sydney thing is going to materialise into something sustainable for the AFL. Swans have been around for 25 years or so and despite their 05/06 success are still relatively second-class citizens in this city.
AndyRoo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:21am | Report comment
People don’t want to interview the director of footballl though…they want the Coach.
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:30am | Report comment
AGO
2nd class is good enough!!
Sheeds coached the Bombers for something like 27 season (not sure of the exact number), for 4 premierships, 3 runners-up and a few other semi final appearances, and even with a relatively average final 5 years, still ended up with a 60+ win percentage.
It’s not a bad coaching record all round.
Now to be honest, personally, I wouldn’t describe him as charasmatic, but he grabs head lines, he’s good for a quote and he does have a history of being innovative.
Indeed, the modern trend where something like 16 players are capable of rotating through the midfield probably started with him back in the mid 80s when he really pushed hard for complete adaptability and flexibility in his players.
And in fact I can recall die-hard bomber fans whinging loudly that Sheeds would never play someone in the one position.
Gibbo said | November 9th 2009 @ 9:41am | Report comment
i wouldn’t want him coaching my club though.
purely marketing, surely?
AGO74 said | November 9th 2009 @ 10:55am | Report comment
I’m not doubting his success over his whole career, but as that great sporting cliche goes “you are only as good as your last game”, his record over the last 5 years at Essendon was pretty ordinary. i can think of many coaches across many forms of sport who were very successful but eventually faded out.
As for the 2nd class, I don’t think that will work from the AFL’s perspective as it seems that aside from trying to grow the game etc, a lot of the higher level strategy behind this is that by having these extra teams that the TV $$$ will go up but not many people in those existing markets with established teams are already watching. TV ratings for Swans matches usually runs last in its limeslot against the otehr commercial channels. it’s not unknown for “The Iron Chef” to beat it!
Pippinu said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:02am | Report comment
The Iron Chef is quite a good show.
I think that applies when Sydney isn’t playing.
I think the idea is that you have at least one live game in Sydney every round, plus 2 of 9 games involving a Sydney team on tele, and ultimately, that might help with ratings.
That’s the long term strategy.
The current large TV right deal (in fact all the deals going back a decade) have, in part, been underpinned by having a team in Sydney and Brisbane.
AndyRoo said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:13am | Report comment
Not sure what the Oron Chef gets but Sydney TV figures are
This season the average audience for Swans games in Sydney is 109,000, down from 122,500 viewers last season. This is a 21 per cent drop on the 2006 average of 154,500.
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:22am | Report comment
1 AFL team swans in NSW…say 109k average?
9 NRL teams in Sydney (not including Newcastle and Canberra), should average about a 1 million viewers? hardly. Not even 500k average (when you compare FTA and Foxtel). Swans are punching above their weight and doing just fine. New team will increase aggregate, if not the average.
There are countless NRL games on Fox on Saturday nights that also get beaten beaten by Iron Chef.
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:21pm | Report comment
i had 86k for swans games
AGO74 said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:34am | Report comment
When AFL is up against Iron Chef it is when Swans are playing as non-Sydney matches on Channel 10 don’t come on until silly hours. Coming last in ratings in Sydney (not sure about Brisbane figures?) is not the reason for large TV deal. The current large TV deal is down to its popularity in Vic, SA, WA and TAS. It is also as much to do with a death bed battle of ego that Kerry Packer had with Channel 7 to make them pay through the nose and the AFL was the lucky recipient.
Interesting to note of talk behind the scenes here in Sydney about Channel 7 making a big play for NRL when it is next up. If true, I wonder what impact that would have on the AFL rights? It would be massive for NRL as last time out Channel 9 was the only commercial bidder.
James said | November 9th 2009 @ 11:43am | Report comment
NRL rights are up a year after the AFL ones I believe…and there has been plenty of murmur in the media about AFL makign moves….getting in before NRL…we await with interest…
M1tch said | November 9th 2009 @ 12:37pm | Report comment
7 is more wanting Origin as it rates the best, they prefer afl though so I doubt they go for regular rounds