Kevin Sheedy will be the first coach for the GSW team but is it just a marketing ploy?
I will admit I was surprised when I first heard about this yesterday and the more I read people’s opinions and hear the comments from Andrew Demetriou and Kevin Sheedy the more I get a feeling this is nothing but a marketing ploy cooked up by the commission.
I do find it curious that Sheedy will NOT coach the GWS side that will enter in the TAC competition next year.
Do not get me wrong, Sheedy is one smart man when it comes to football and he has an excellent record of entrepreneur ideas like the ANZAC match between Essendon and Collingwood and almost single handed pushing up the numbers of Aboriginal AFL footballers and helped Ben Cousins with his come back to football in 2009.
And his coaching record stands by itself with 27 years at one club and four premierships however the question we all are asking is, has coaching past him?
Just on this website itself we have had several conversations about his age and whether he is past it or not tactically. The main argument tends to be that in every other code of sport, age is worth its weight in gold yet in the AFL its seen as a liability.
What I Think Will Happen
Personally I think Kevin Sheedy as the coach is a brilliant move. Because he will generate interest by AFL fans but also from rugby fans who are curious about this weird old man.
I personally doubt his coaching ability will be a factor as I see him filling a role as a mentor and have an up and coming ex-Sydney/ NSW player around him who will take over the role after a few years in the AFL starting from 2012. It will be very similar as coach Cahill for Port Adelaide in their early days and currently Malthouse and Roos for Collingwood and Sydney respectively.
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November 10th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I’m impressed that you think Sheeds will last about 101 years (2112!) but I think that it’s a great move both in terms of footballing and marketing terms. You sense that the opportunity to build a team from scratch is the type of task that suits Sheedy to the ground: watch for him to pick some unusual uncontracted players that pay off big time (with likely a few flops as well). Look, with Sheeds at the helm, GWS could almost become my second team… they’re a better chance at a flag in the next 10 years than the hapless Tiges.
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November 10th, 2009 at 10:37 am
So you think he will make bigger recruiting moves than picking up Karmichael Hunt like the Gold Coast did? Even if he only becomes a ‘hand player’ (100 odd games), I think that would be one of the best modern day recruitment’s, maybe along with Tony Lockett to Sydney in 1995 and Chris Judd to Carlton.
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November 10th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Wrote a post about this yesterday & he’ll fail. The Commish has spent a fortune to get Sheedy there, nobody in the area knows who he is & his record for top draft picks is poor.
On Karmichael Hunt, heard GC17 will give him 2 practice games before picking him.
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November 10th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Is he going to win a flag at GWS? Nope. Does it matter that he’s not the tactical leader he once was? Nope, he’s the “head coach” and will have assistants who’ll advise and bring him up to speed — see The Modern Coach.
Make no mistake: GWS will struggle to get general acceptance and identity in its heartland. Sheedy’s track record will show that the AFL are serious and will open (some) doors. As a promoter, he’ll get people thinking, encourage them that GWS has a future. I think it’s a good appointment.
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November 16th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Yes agree AussieRules, you got any ideas on some good tactful assistant coaches who may go over and help him? I think Hird and Lenny Hayes would be two good choices.
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