AFL symbol Kevin Sheedy’s unexpected comeback to coaching following an 11-year hiatus is expected.
AFL legend Kevin Sheedy is getting ready to make an unexpected comeback to coaching.
Sheedy last served as a senior professional coach in 2013, helping to form the GWS Giants in the early years of the AFL.
Following an 11-year hiatus, the esteemed individual intends to expand the Australian Rules game to global arenas.
Sheedy will compete in open-age events in Croatia and Bali with the “Southern Slugs,” along with former AFL players Brent Harvey and Isaac Smith.
According to News Corp., Sheedy stated, “The proposal is that they would like me to help coach over there.”
“I believe it’s critical that we support the coaches in other nations. I have assisted coaches in Toronto, the United States, and London for the British AFL and BAFL.
We should, in my opinion, never stop trying to improve both our coaches and our style of play.
“I still have to look at the dates of those trips but Croatia is definitely the one I am interested in because Croatia has produced some very good players at AFL level.”
Under Sheedy’s direction, Harvey, the AFL games record holder, and Smith, the 2022 Norm Smith Medallist, four-time premiership player, are reportedly teaming up with a plethora of other football stars.
Prior to sharing his knowledge in Western Sydney, Sheedy concluded an extremely successful coaching career with Essendon. Between 1981 and 2007, the Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend led the Bombers in 634 games, winning 61.36 percent of them and winning four flags.
Sheedy was equally important as a player, leading Richmond to three premierships in 1969, 1973, and 1974.
It is believed that Sheedy will travel abroad in October or November.
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An AFL club has offered a former Sydney captain an off-field position.
According to 7 News Perth reporter Ryan Daniels, Kieren Jack, a former captain of Sydney, will be joining the West Coast Eagles in an off-field capacity. Jack retired in 2019 and spent nearly a year working for the Swans in a commercial management capacity before taking on other roles in Sydney unrelated to football. The 36-year-old will join the Eagles as the head of strategy and innovation, bringing with him over 250 games of AFL experience. The New South Wales native was named an All-Australian, won a Bob Skilton Medal, and captained the Swans for four seasons.
The premiership Swan’s anticipated arrival will add to the wave of off-field changes for West Coast, who are still searching for a new list manager following Rohan O’Brien’s resignation. West Coast have brought in former Sydney assistant Don Pyke as the club’s new chief executive, however the former Adelaide coach’s time with the Swans didn’t overlap with Jack’s. Under Pyke’s new reign, the Eagles are looking to return to finals contention in the coming years after a lean couple of seasons for the Perth powerhouse.
The Eagles won five of their 45 games across the 2022-2023 seasons, picking up just their second wood spoon last year. West Coast’s 2024 campaign will get underway on Sunday, March 17 against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
