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Kevin Sheedy came, he saw and now he expects Greater Western Sydney to conquer for years to come.
Sheedy on Tuesday confirmed he was leaving the Giants to take up a newly-created senior management role at besieged Essendon, the club he coached to four premierships.
After taking the helm for the Giants during their inception, he insists he is leaving the Giants in good shape and expects the expansion club to push for a maiden AFL finals berth this season.
Sheedy coached the Giants for their first two years in the AFL before serving on the club’s board and as an ambassador.
The 67-year-old’s return to Melbourne comes at a crucial time for the Bombers who are about to learn the fate of 34 past and present players who are facing AFL anti-doping tribunal bans.
He will begin his new role at Essendon on Monday and on Friday night he will be forced to sit on the fence when the Giants play the Bombers in a NAB Challenge match at Spotless Stadium.
Sheedy handed over the GWS coaching reins to Leon Cameron for the 2014 season and said the club was showing signs of strength including the recent re-signings of young stars Phil Davis, Jeremy Cameron and Devon Smith.
He said he wouldn’t have returned to Melbourne if he didn’t think he had completed his work and the club was not on a steady footing.
“I think they’ll win between nine and 10 games depending on injury and depending on the AFL draw … I think that Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, Essendon, Gold Coast Suns and the Giants will by vying for the seventh and eighth positions this year,” Sheedy said.
“I think they’re a very exciting group of players and they’re not even all out there yet.”
The Giants paid tribute to Sheedy at the announcement at team headquarters alongside AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan, also anointing him as the club’s first life member.
Sheedy was instrumental in the growth of the Giants and their ongoing battle for hearts and minds in rugby league-dominated western Sydney.
“I remember taking Sheeds to a State of Origin game at ANZ (Stadium) a few years ago and between the stadium and the car, Sheeds was stopped half a dozen times by different people wanting an autograph or a selfie,” Giants chairman Tony Shepherd said.
“And these are rugby league fans. It dawned on me just how powerful Sheeds was and is as an AFL identity in this country.
“Not just in the AFL states, but right across the country, he is recognised as a great. So he was a perfect fit as our coach.”
Sheedy will take up the role of general manager of commercial development and innovation and will be a member of the club’s senior management group.
“Kevin is an icon of the game, a legend of the Essendon Football Club and has more than five decades of experience as a player, coach, administrator and pioneer of the game,” Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell said.
“Kevin is part of the fabric of our proud club, he paved the way for social change, broke down barriers and means so much to so many generations of loyal and proud Essendon supporters.
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