Sheedy sticks up for journeyman Folau

Updated December 04, 2012 16:41:08

Israel Folau's former AFL coach Kevin Sheedy has defended the character of the New South Wales Waratahs recruit, saying he is one of the more honest people he has dealt with in his 45-year career.

Folau has copped fierce criticism this week for not signing with NRL club Parramatta after it helped secure his release from the AFL, with coach Ricky Stuart saying his side would be "genuinely better off without him".

However, the Greater Western Sydney Giants coach said on Tuesday he had no problem with Folau's character as he was always up-front and honest.

"I actually admired him for that," Sheedy said.

"So from my point of view as a person, and I've been around the game for 45 years, I think Israel Folau is one of the (more) honest people I have actually ever dealt with.

"I am glad that when he felt that AFL wasn't his game in the end that he actually told us the facts and let us get on about our business which is what I think is a fair thing to do."

However, Sheedy said Folau's switch to rugby union had not been in his landscape of thinking.

"Obviously everything was pointing towards the Parramatta Eels," he said.

"But he puts himself in the direction of Karmichael Hunt now as a player of all three codes. It's a pretty good effort."

Sheedy said he had no regrets signing Folau, labelling the move as one of AFL's best marketing strategies.

"From our point of view, (it was) one of the best marketing exercises since Tina Turner singing 'Simply the Best' with the NRL," he said.

Waratahs coach Cheika said Folau was a man of impeccable character and was happy to welcome him into the fold.

"The dealings I've had with Israel, from day one ... he's been honest, direct and I've really been happy with the way it's been set up," he said.

"The important thing is, first of all, that Israel gets into this team, meets his team-mates so that he's feeling good about himself, feeling good about the people he's playing footy with every day."

In a statement, Waratahs Rugby chief executive Jason Allen said Folau's signing marked a new, exciting chapter in the franchise's history.

"Winning Israel over to rugby union is a major boost for the Waratahs and an exciting prospect for Super Rugby fans across Australia," he said.

"As a player, Israel clearly has an exceptional talent but what was equally important to us was the enormous level of respect he commands from those who know him and have worked with him."

Folau will be playing alongside Wallabies such as Berrick Barnes, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Kane Douglas and the Australian Rugby Union suggested he could eventually join them in the national team, and even become an Olympian.

"Depending on his development as a rugby player, there is an opportunity for Folau to achieve higher honours, in Sevens as well as the 15-a-side game," ARU acting chief executive Matt Carroll said.

"Sevens is now an Olympic sport and we are keen to build depth and profile for the game in the lead-up to Rio in 2016."

AAP/AFP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, australian-football-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted December 04, 2012 16:37:11

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Giants set to announce Sheedy succession

Updated October 03, 2012 20:49:30

The legendary coaching career of Kevin Sheedy appears to have an end point, with Greater Western Sydney expected to announce a succession plan.

On Thursday, the Giants are set to confirm Leon Cameron as their new assistant coach and he will also eventually take over from Sheedy in the senior role.

That will probably happen in 2014.

While nothing would surprise with Sheedy, he will turn 66 at the end of next year.

The Giants gave Sheedy a one-year contract extension in August and soon after senior assistant Mark Williams left the Giants for a development role at Richmond.

The club stated that Williams was leaving one year before his contract expired for family reasons, but Sheedy conceded his reappointment for 2013 may have had a bearing on Williams' exit.

"That decision has probably frustrated him," Sheedy said last month.

Williams' departure opened up a spot and Cameron, currently an assistant at Hawthorn, flew to Sydney on Wednesday for talks with the Giants.

It has since emerged that Cameron's appointment will have far bigger implications, with the Giants deciding he will also be the man to succeed Sheedy.

This would be Cameron's first AFL senior coaching appointment.

Cameron had been the favourite to take the senior coaching position at Port Adelaide.

Power football manager Peter Rohde says the club may be forced to return to the drawing board.

"We interviewed him formally on Monday and we were a fair way down the path with him, but he's obviously got another offer on the table so we'll see how that unfolds," he said.

Sheedy has an iconic status in the game for his many achievements.

He started his senior coaching career at Essendon in 1981 and had an epic 27-year reign at the Bombers.

Sheedy masterminded the end of their 19-year premiership drought with the 1984 flag.

He also coached them to the 1985, 1993 and 2000 premierships.

Apart from his coaching ability, Sheedy became one of the game's biggest personalities with his left-field thinking, dry sense of humour and ability to promote the game.

The famed "back pocket plumber" in his playing days at the Tigers was also never afraid to ruffle feathers with his comments.

He played a pivotal role in bringing more indigenous Australian players into the AFL.

Essendon decided not to renew Sheedy's contract, although he stayed until the end of the 2007 season.

In late 2009, he signed a three-year deal to coach the Giants, the AFL's newest team.

He was the perfect choice to be the inaugural coach of a club trying to establish themselves in a region without a traditional AFL background.

While the Giants have not been successful on the field, Sheedy's personality and flair for publicity have made him their top marketing tool.

Sheedy has coached 657 AFL matches, putting him third on the all-time list behind Jock McHale and Mick Malthouse.

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, blacktown-2148

First posted October 03, 2012 20:49:30

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Hird plays down Sheedy match-up

Updated May 25, 2012 12:56:54

Essendon coach James Hird says emotion will not be a factor when he takes on former mentor Kevin Sheedy in Saturday's match with Greater Western Sydney.

Hird stressed that the Giants' first match at the revamped Showground at Homebush will be all about the 44 players on the park, not the "romantic story" between Sheedy and Hird, who formed a formidable partnership as coach and captain at the Bombers.

"I think coach versus coach is definitely overrated, it's about the players," Hird said.

"I haven't spent any time thinking about Sheeds, it's been more about (Stephen) Coniglio, (Dom) Tyson, who our players will be up against.

"I suppose it's a little bit of a romantic story if you like - myself against Sheeds - but in the end our influence on the game will be very small."

The weekend will feature Hird clashing wits with Sheedy, the man who oversaw his entire AFL career starting with the 1990 draft.

Of more concern to the second-year coach is the chance for his side to entrench themselves in the top four.

The Bombers' eighth victory is considered a fait accompli against the youthful Giants, but Hird is confident his charges, whose only loss came in a tense Anzac Day fixture, will not see it that way.

"I can't see why our guys would be complacent. We're trying to do something, we're trying to go somewhere," he said.

"We're not anywhere near there yet, and we haven't been there for a long time.

"This club hasn't won a final, hasn't been competitive in the top end of the season for probably 12 or 11 years.

"You just can't afford to be complacent. You can build a year and we're trying to build that. Our guys understand that."

While downplaying the nature of his maiden match against Sheedy, Hird admits the four-time premiership coach had left a distinct impression on the Bombers' coaching team.

"His philosophies, my philosophies, Mark Thompson's philosophies and Sean Wellman's philosophies - (they) have some similarities to them and he's had a lot of influence on us," he said.

"He knows a lot of our players. He knows I'd imagine how our club thinks. It's a matter of stopping that.

"I think you can get romantic about football when you finish, and not while you're in the midst of it. It's a brutal game and you've got to concentrate on the task at hand."

Hird says veteran defender Dustin Fletcher (groin) should return next week against Melbourne, while young gun Dyson Heppell will be given possibly two weeks to overcome his knee knock.

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, essendon-3040, blacktown-2148, sydney-2000

First posted May 25, 2012 12:56:54

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Sheedy to make up to five changes

Updated April 23, 2012 18:11:10

Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy is likely to make up to five changes to the side that recorded a competitive 46-point loss to Adelaide on Saturday.

The defeat was by far the Giants' best performance in the team's debut season, but the four-time premiership coach suggested he will keep rotating young players through the squad in an effort to make sure they all gain experience and remain fresh.

"We'll probably make about five changes this week. Four or five," Sheedy said.

"We'll bring some boys in maybe for their first game and we'll also bring back a couple who were rested this week."

Round two rising star nominee Jeremy Cameron will return, but ex-Carlton utility Setanta o'hAilpin is likely to remain in the reserves.

"We might leave him for the Carlton game," Sheedy said of the 29-year-old who has played two games in the NEAFL after missing the entire pre-season with a badly corked calf.

"It's good to get him through games at the moment and we'll need everyone of these players with experience coming back in the next month.

"Because sooner or later we will rest (Dean) Brogan, Chad Cornes and those sort of boys. They're not going to play all the matches this year."

Jonathon Patton played his first NEAFL game on Saturday after undergoing knee surgery in Sweden in January, but he is lacking match fitness and is unlikely to return until late May at the earliest.

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, blacktown-2148

First posted April 23, 2012 13:50:04

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Veterans to miss round one: Sheedy

Updated March 14, 2012 22:46:05

Sheedy suggested on Wednesday the Giants were likely to be missing up to five or six players for the Olympic stadium encounter on March 24.

Among the absentees will be midfielder Luke Power (hamstring), ruckman Dean Brogan (hamstring) and forward Setanta O'hAilpin (cork).

Sheedy was already resigned to taking on the Swans without the club's number draft pick Jonathan Patton, who underwent knee surgery in Sweden.

The Giants' coach said he was pretty close to finalising his preferred 22 for the match against Sydney.

He suggested GWS would field its strongest available squad for their final preseason hitout against Richmond in Canberra on Saturday.

"The best ones we can put out there," Sheedy said.

"We will not have our best team out there, but it's always hard to organise your best team to be running out there week in, week out."

Another veteran Chad Cornes is set to go for round one, but the former Port Adelaide star is not thinking about playing beyond this year.

"I'm still rapt for the opportunity to be here this year. The body is feeling pretty good at this stage," Cornes told reporters.

Sheedy reiterated rugby league convert Israel Folau would definitely be part of the side to face the Swans and was continuing to improve.

"He got the ball a few more times last week and we played him in the ruck more and he's starting to learn to read the game up the field," Sheedy said.

Looking ahead to the first-round clash with Sydney, Sheedy said he was still to decide who would get the difficult matchup on Swans' champion Adam Goodes.

With its Blacktown facility unavailable as it's being prepared for Sydney's clash with Gold Coast on Saturday, GWS trained on Wednesday at Lakeside Oval, next to the SCG and frequently used by the Swans.

Sydney coach John Longmire chatted with Sheedy before the session and then, together with some of his assistants, watched from a respectful distance at the opposite end of the ground.

"The Swans guys are there watching so we won't give too much away," Cornes said.

While he can get around western Sydney with relative anonymity, Cornes is finding another aspect of the harbour city less enjoyable.

"It takes two hours to get anywhere here. In Adelaide, it's 10 minutes max," Cornes said.

AAP

Tags: sport, australian-football-league, sydney-2000

First posted March 14, 2012 17:01:49

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Sheedy sees 40 goals for Folau

Updated February 03, 2012 18:28:48

At least one bookmaker is betting Israel Folau will not boot more than 10 goals in his first AFL season but Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy has more faith in the rugby league convert.

The veteran coach reiterated on Friday that Folau is a certain starter for the round one derby against Sydney Swans at the Olympic stadium and feels the 22-year-old will succeed despite the doubters.

"He's a player that every time you left a challenge, he'd lift and have a go at it," Sheedy told reporters at a press conference marking 50 days until the March 24 clash between the Giants and Swans.

"I think Israel's become a better player through the training; kicked over 30 goals last year and probably would have kicked 40 if we hadn't have played him down the back half for four or five games.

"I think that he'll play all the NAB Cup games. He needs every game to get into playing against AFL-standard players.

"You just don't know. If he kicks two goals a game, plays every game - that's 40-odd - that's a good effort in his first year."

While Folau eagerly awaits the first big challenge of his AFL career a man who has been there and done it all, Swans legend Adam Goodes, says expectations should not be too high.

Despite Folau having represented Australia in rugby league, played grand finals and State of Origin matches, he is still just an AFL rookie according to the dual Brownlow medallist.

"I think the way I see Izzy, he's just like any first-year player coming into our footy group," Goodes said.

"If he was on my team I'd hate to put any expectations on him other than to go out and play well.

"If he takes a couple of marks and, like Sheeds says, gets a couple of goals a game then that's him playing his role.

"That's all Izzy can expect - to go out there in his first game and play as well for his team-mates and be a bit of a target in that forward line."

Goodes' coach John Longmire jokingly suggested the veteran Swan could find himself marking Folau in the historic derby clash.

But whoever he finds himself up against, Folau expects the game to be just as big as anything he experienced in his rugby league career.

"It's just as important, the build-up to this game," Folau said.

"On a personal level it's pretty big for myself.

"It's going to be a long year for myself ... but I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge."

The first step in establishing a rivalry between the two clubs was taken on Friday with the announcement of a medal named in honour of Swans' great Brett Kirk for the best-on-ground in the fixture.

Goodes says he is eagerly anticipating playing in the first intra-city derby of his long career.

"I've never had it before so I'm definitely excited," he said.

"You see the teams in Adelaide and Perth ... even the Suns against Brisbane last year ... I just thought it was fantastic."

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, blacktown-2148

First posted February 03, 2012 18:12:27

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Sheedy critical of Freemantle sacking

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 25/09/2011

Reporter: Barrie Cassidy

Kevin Sheedy believes Freemantle have done the wrong thing by sacking Mark Harvey.

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Sheedy casts eagle eye over NT footy talent

Tom Nightingale

Updated October 25, 2011 12:56:22

The AFL's newest club is looking to play a pre-season match in the Northern Territory.

Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy visited Alice Springs yesterday and says the club wants to play a match in Alice Springs or Darwin within the next three years.

The club has already listed Curtly Hampton from Alice Springs, and has a a priority recruiting zone across the Territory.

Sheedy also said the club was looking at eight Territory juniors as possible picks in next month's draft.

It has to select up to 14 more players in the national draft, in preparation for its first AFL season next year.

Sheedy said Top End player Jed Anderson is high in draft considerations.

He says the club is also looking at two Alice Springs players, Louis Egger and Gibson Turner.

"It seems to be that when the NT actually get one, they are gold, like the [Michael] Longs and, obviously, Andrew McLeod and [Cyril] Rioli," he said.

"They are terrific players.

"There is a lot of quality when the players do come out."

Tags: australian-football-league, sports-organisations, youth, alice-springs-0870, darwin-0800, sydney-2000

First posted October 25, 2011 12:56:22

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Kevin Sheedy in Broken Hill - Giants 'may be' after Walker

Kevin Sheedy, the coach of new AFL outfit Greater Western Sydney, is in Broken Hill today encouraging support for his team and keeping an eye out for local talent.

On a trip that is taking in most of New South Wales and parts of the Northern Territory, Sheedy is spruiking his new club and connecting with junior and senior football leagues across the country.

He remained tight lipped about rumours his team are planning on making a bid for local talent, and current Crows player, Taylor Walker.

"Maybe our recruiting staff could be talking to his manager... but I would know more about that at the end of the season, on all the players off contract."

When it comes to players like Walker, Kevin is positive about The Giants' pulling power, saying "we've got a decent amount of money in our salary cap to go and find players off contract."

The west

Kevin Sheedy is hoping The Giants will be able to turn their large zone in regional New South Wales into a considerable support base of fans.

"Our zone really extends from the Homebush Olympic Stadium... and from there, right here to Broken Hill, down to Wentworth and right back to Eden and then goes up the coast of NSW to a little town called Berri.

"This first trip is about connecting with the people in our zone, particularly the junior footy league and the senior league here in Broken Hill."

Kevin says he's aware of the talent pool in Broken Hill and has had good fortune with local players in the past.

"Obviously I've had previous success with Dean Solomon out of Broken Hill; he was a marvellous player for the Bombers."

Wanting to distance his team from the struggling Gold Coast Suns who only had one year to recruit their squad, Kevin says The Giants still have plenty of time to make decisions regarding specific players.

Ultimately, he says, it is the sport of football itself that will be the big winner from new teams, such as Greater Western Sydney and the Gold Coast Suns, coming into the game.

"You know, having a new team come in in West Sydney, now that takes it up to about 800 contracts in AFL clubs and that's an amazing story in sport alone."

The Greater Western Sydney Giants will begin their first AFL preseason in February of 2012.

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