End The Sheedy Medal. Time for a Change?

[Land of the Giants]

We need a medal named after one of our own champions.

When he hangs up his boots, Toby is the obvious choice, as he's not only an icon of the club, but the code itself.

 

[Keeper]

Sheeds is 90%+ of the reason we were taken seriously and why we've made six finals series in our 12 years of existence.

He knew what a professional football club looked like and how to build one, having had decade upon decade of experience, from the top down. He ensured we had a proper off-field set-up, from medical to training regimes and more. He had the runs on the board to get buy in from the playing list, rather than everyone pulling in their own direction because they figured they're a bigger draw than the coach.

Without him, we could well be the Suns or worse.

Yeah, he comes out with some truly embarrassing s**t these days but anyone discarding what he did for the club is trying to whitewash history or only bothered paying attention to us well after those early years were done. I lived them, I was in the room when he was talking to a few dozen people at Rooty Hill and at pre-game events before a game when only a few thousand showed up, I remember.

Umm, I don't think so.
And taken seriously by whom? Don't think any neutrals think much of Sheedy's coaching tenure at GWS.

I stand by the statement that there's a long list of past coaches that could've done the same job as him. Knows what a professional football club looked like? Helped set up the off-field stuff? I mean, the Gold Coast might've gotten this part wrong, but this is hardly groundbreaking stuff. Gold Coast probably would've done a lot better if they didn't make Scott Clayton their main recruiter.

Club Best and Fairest awards are typically named in the honor of a past player who was a champion of the club. If you don't have any yet, just call it the Best and Fairest Award until you do. Naming the Best and Fairest PLAYER award after an old coot who never played for the club and just laid some basic foundations seems like Tony Shepherd trying to engineer a club legend when there wasn't one.

 

[dlanod]

Umm, I don't think so.
And taken seriously by whom? Don't think any neutrals think much of Sheedy's coaching tenure at GWS.

I stand by the statement that there's a long list of past coaches that could've done the same job as him. Knows what a professional football club looked like? Helped set up the off-field stuff? I mean, the Gold Coast might've gotten this part wrong, but this is hardly groundbreaking stuff. Gold Coast probably would've done a lot better if they didn't make Scott Clayton their main recruiter.

You don't recall all the lamenting about the juggernaut GWS would become?

You don't remember getting quality staff in (including Leon, who was a hot coaching option at the time) to fill positions, especially compared to the Suns?

Name the other past coaches that were available back in that era able to call on their contacts to fill out a complete club's hierarchy. How many of them have actually been successful in whatever follow-up head coaching appointments they've had? Because I don't remember a whole lot.

He wasn't a tactical coach and he was never going to be but he handed over before that became an issue and after he got majority buy in to the club. We never had the exoduses (exodii?) that the Suns had either. He was the right coach for the time.

The Suns might have got it wrong, but so did the Bears and the Dockers and the Swans (post move), just about every club who didn't have an Aussie Rules dedicated state or specific team to pick the eyes out of. We've been a beacon of stability and success compared to any of those in their initial dozen years.

Club Best and Fairest awards are typically named in the honor of a past player who was a champion of the club. If you don't have any yet, just call it the Best and Fairest Award until you do. Naming the Best and Fairest PLAYER award after an old coot who never played for the club and just laid some basic foundations seems like Tony Shepherd trying to engineer a club legend when there wasn't one.

I'm not sure whether this is a long term Hawthorn/Essendon grudge, or if you were even alive when that was a thing, but worrying over what someone else's club calls their best and fairest has to be up there for the funniest hill to die on.

 

[Keeper]

You don't recall all the lamenting about the juggernaut GWS would become?

You don't remember getting quality staff in (including Leon, who was a hot coaching option at the time) to fill positions, especially compared to the Suns?

Name the other past coaches that were available back in that era able to call on their contacts to fill out a complete club's hierarchy. How many of them have actually been successful in whatever follow-up head coaching appointments they've had? Because I don't remember a whole lot.

He wasn't a tactical coach and he was never going to be but he handed over before that became an issue and after he got majority buy in to the club. We never had the exoduses (exodii?) that the Suns had either. He was the right coach for the time.

The Suns might have got it wrong, but so did the Bears and the Dockers and the Swans (post move), just about every club who didn't have an Aussie Rules dedicated state or specific team to pick the eyes out of. We've been a beacon of stability and success compared to any of those in their initial dozen years.

I'm not sure whether this is a long term Hawthorn/Essendon grudge, or if you were even alive when that was a thing, but worrying over what someone else's club calls their best and fairest has to be up there for the funniest hill to die on.

So basically you're claiming Kevin Sheedy is a GWS Giants Legend on the premise that GWS did better than the Suns?
And for some reason he gets credit for absolutely everything that went right? Like, he's worthy of having the B&F named after him because he called up some contacts? What?

You don't recall all the lamenting about the juggernaut GWS would become?

What did that have to do with Sheedy? He was just the ambassadorial coach. He wasn't responsible for getting all the draft picks, mini-draft picks and under-age selections. Nobody was lamenting GWS being a juggernaut because of Sheedy, they were anxious because GWS had all the best young talent in a strong age group

As for bringing in coaches, you'll be hard pressed to convince anyone that an old dinosaur like Sheedy was the key to "luring" any coaches. The AFL probably just paid them what they were asking for, and in the cases of Williams and Cameron that came with the promise of being the successor. Sheedy screwed Williams the same way he screwed Mark Harvey while he was still at Essendon; he is the type who doesn't like to let go, even when time is obviously up.

Should the Melbourne Demons consider Peter Jackson a club legend? The AFL appointed him as Melbourne's CEO when they were rock bottom. He sacked Mark Neeld, appointed Paul Roos, and helped set them on an upward path that culminated in a Premiership. Perhaps they should name some award after him?

I'm not "worried" about anything, just perplexed. Seems to me like you're the only GWS fan here ready to die on a hill to defend this old dinosaur and this imaginary legacy you think he's left behind. All the other Giants fans ITT don't seem to share your sentimentality.

 

[captainMyCaptain]

Have always felt that the award for the clubs best player should eventually be named after a former player who's whole career has been with the club. That's why I expect it to eventually be named the Toby. But the choice for now is to either keep it as the Kevin Sheedy medal or have no name associated with it until the time is right.

 

[Colonial]

I’m taken by The Orange Team medal.

Nicknamed the OT’s

 

[GWS Goose]

I think naming it Ward-Davis in a few years is a great call - two fantastic long term players (for a player's medal) and leaders mostly associated with the club.

BUT

Sheeds is 90%+ of the reason we were taken seriously and why we've made six finals series in our 12 years of existence.

He knew what a professional football club looked like and how to build one, having had decade upon decade of experience, from the top down. He ensured we had a proper off-field set-up, from medical to training regimes and more. He had the runs on the board to get buy in from the playing list, rather than everyone pulling in their own direction because they figured they're a bigger draw than the coach.

Without him, we could well be the Suns or worse.

Yeah, he comes out with some truly embarrassing s**t these days but anyone discarding what he did for the club is trying to whitewash history or only bothered paying attention to us well after those early years were done. I lived them, I was in the room when he was talking to a few dozen people at Rooty Hill and at pre-game events before a game when only a few thousand showed up, I remember.

Agree with all of this. Getting the experienced guys in early (Sheedy, Gubby Allan, Chocco etc) was smart

 

[GWS Goose]

It'll be changed in due course, and rightfully so.