Coaching Staff Kevin Sheedy elevated to Immortal of the Essendon Football Club

[Lore]

Kevin Sheedy OAM has been recognised as an Immortal of the Essendon Football Club on the night of the Bombers’ prestigious gala event to honour their proud 150-year anniversary.

Already a recognised Legend of the Essendon Football Club, President Paul Brasher declared Sheedy of Immortal status for his unparalleled contribution to the success of the club over its first 150 years.

Brasher said the recognition - the very first of its kind in the club's 150 years - was truly fitting.

“Kevin’s passion, dedication, determination and pride in expanding Essendon from a suburban club to truly national sporting organisation has helped ensure the Essendon Football Club will remain a pre-eminent club long into the future,” Brasher said.

“We particularly acknowledge Kevin’s contribution in winning four VFL/AFL premierships as a coach, as well as his significant role in establishing annual marquee matches including Anzac Day, Dreamtime at the 'G and the Country Festival games.

“Importantly too, we recognise the influential role Kevin has had, and continues to, in developing and nurturing players of all backgrounds and cultures in his four decades of involvement at the Essendon Football Club.”

The award was presented by President Paul Brasher, as well as Terry Daniher, Adam Ramanauskas

Adam Ramanauskas

Age

43

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.0

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

5.3

4star

M

4.1

4star

T

1.8

4star

No current season stats available

D

8.4

3star

K

5.4

2star

HB

3.0

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.6

4star

and Gavin Wanganeen.

Sheedy elevated to Immortal of Essendon Football Club

Kevin Sheedy receives the club's highest individual honour obtainable.

www.essendonfc.com.au

 

[NAB777]

I'd have Reynolds or Coleman ahead of Sheedy.

 

[citizen-erased]

Sheedy probably balances historical success and some level of recency and relevance to younger fans.

Being someone who started watching afl in '89 I get it.

 

[Vander18]

I'd have Reynolds or Coleman ahead of Sheedy.

Reynolds is the towering figure within our history - as player and coach. This is wrong.

All about optics and no doubt further ensconcing Sheedy as a nice, compliant board member. He’s bought and paid for at this point.

It sucks to have become this cynical about our football club.

 

[frodos gardener]

Yeah I don’t see the point of this, but whatever.

 

[eighties_bomber]

dare i say the club even stuffed this up

 

[Duckworth]

Congratulation kelvin_sheedy

 

[WindyHillWarrior]

 

[brain taylor]

I'd have Reynolds or Coleman ahead of Sheedy.

unfortunately both proved to be mortal in the end

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Reynolds is the towering figure within our history - as player and coach. This is wrong.

All about optics and no doubt further ensconcing Sheedy as a nice, compliant board member. He’s bought and paid for at this point.

It sucks to have become this cynical about our football club.

Whether or not he should have been the first doesn't change that Sheedy undeniably deserves this honour.

I could mount an argument that Sheedy should have been first when you consider the state of our club in a football and commercial sense when he took over as opposed to where he took it and the lasting impact (commercially) he has had, not to mention the acknowledgement to first people, war veterans and people from the country.

Having said all of this I would have had no issue with Reynolds or Coleman being honoured first either.

In the end my feelings about the club currently shouldn't change this as a well deserved honour.

 

[CBombers17]

Sheedy is fast becoming an 'immortal' at the small club within the club.

 

[Vander18]

Whether or not he should have been the first doesn't change that Sheedy undeniably deserves this honour.

I could mount an argument that Sheedy should have been first when you consider the state of our club in a football and commercial sense when he took over as opposed to where he took it and the lasting impact (commercially) he has had, not to mention the acknowledgement to first people, war veterans and people from the country.

Having said all of this I would have had no issue with Reynolds or Coleman being honoured first either.

In the end my feelings about the club currently shouldn't change this as a well deserved honour.

Reynolds won four flags as a coach - same as Sheedy. He is also the greatest player in our history. Combine the two and its not really an argument.

The sequencing matters I think. The person first bestowed the honour should me the person who most embodies it.

 

[ant555]

I think it is well deserved. We may have drifted of course but he was the person that changed our culture from being a nice middle class club in the 70's to a hard edge feared side. For a while he was the club. listen to any of Watson or TD etc and they will tell you he really shook the place up. It is too bad no one way able to keep the momentum going. Only thing he really did wrong was stay one contract too long.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Reynolds won four flags as a coach - same as Sheedy. He is also the greatest player in our history. Combine the two and its not really an argument.

The sequencing matters I think. The person first bestowed the honour should me the person who most embodies it.

You won't get much argument from me about Reynolds, but I consider it closer than you do when you consider beyond just the playing field (even though I wish we'd focus only on the playing field more these days). Sequencing matters somewhat but I reckon we can agree to disagree how much. I think it matters more to do it while someone is alive to receive the honour as opposed to their descendants. The real mistake is not doing something similar for Reynolds when he was alive IMO.

My overall point is that this is about Kevin Sheedy and it is a well deserved honour for him and I don't want other stuff like this to take away from that.

 

[Lore]

You won't get much argument from me about Reynolds, but I consider it closer than you do when you consider beyond just the playing field (even though I wish we'd focus only on the playing field more these days). Sequencing matters somewhat but I reckon we can agree to disagree how much. I think it matters more to do it while someone is alive to receive the honour as opposed to their descendants. The real mistake is not doing something similar for Reynolds when he was alive IMO.

My overall point is that this is about Kevin Sheedy and it is a well deserved honour for him and I don't want other stuff like this to take away from that.

Reynolds had something like it when he was voted as the #1 Champion of Essendon in 2002 – a month before he died, and our 130th year.

His Wikipedia page links to here, which is a nice little run down of what happened on the night, his son helped him up to accept the accolade

Events | Details | Essendon Football Club Official Website

The Official web site of the Essendon Football Club - your best source for Essendon information, shopping, competitions and video online

web.archive.org

The painting in the locker room at Windy Hill was also unveiled that night, featuring the 25 Champions of Essendon named that night...

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Reynolds had something like it when he was voted as the #1 Champion of Essendon in 2002 – a month before he died, and our 130th year.

His Wikipedia page links to here, which is a nice little run down of what happened on the night, his son helped him up to accept the accolade

Events | Details | Essendon Football Club Official Website

The Official web site of the Essendon Football Club - your best source for Essendon information, shopping, competitions and video online

web.archive.org

The painting in the locker room at Windy Hill was also unveiled that night, featuring the 25 Champions of Essendon named that night...

Yeah I remember that, it was only a players thing though, but I agree it was good they did this before he passed. He was also inducted as a legend in 1996, but it's one of those things where they create a new category to elevate some even more. No doubt in 2089 there will be an "Immortal Legend" category inducting Reynolds first despite the more deserving Harry Jones for his 5 x Brownlow, 8 x Premiership, 1643 goal playing career and 12 x Premierships as coach.

I completely get Vanders point too. I don't even disagree but given Sheeds was honoured first my main point is that we shouldn't reduce the honour deserved by Sheeds because of it.

 

[Vander18]

You won't get much argument from me about Reynolds, but I consider it closer than you do when you consider beyond just the playing field (even though I wish we'd focus only on the playing field more these days). Sequencing matters somewhat but I reckon we can agree to disagree how much. I think it matters more to do it while someone is alive to receive the honour as opposed to their descendants. The real mistake is not doing something similar for Reynolds when he was alive IMO.

My overall point is that this is about Kevin Sheedy and it is a well deserved honour for him and I don't want other stuff like this to take away from that.

The issue for me is that this all feels a bit tainted unfortunately.

I could live with it if it didn’t feel connected to everything going on at the club right now.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

The issue for me is that this all feels a bit tainted unfortunately.

I could live with it if it didn’t feel connected to everything going on at the club right now.

I definitely know what you mean by that. I too find it hard not to be cynical at everything club related. I do need to remind myself here that regardless of what's going on now it was always going to be the 150th year however and they always try to celebrate things in this way.

In that spirit I just think Sheeds deserves a proper toast to what he has done for the club.

 

[Vander18]

I definitely know what you mean by that. I too find it hard not to be cynical at everything club related. I do need to remind myself here that regardless of what's going on now it was always going to be the 150th year however and they always try to celebrate things in this way.

In that spirit I just think Sheeds deserves a proper toast to what he has done for the club.

You’re a better person than I!

 

[NAB777]

I think it is well deserved. We may have drifted of course but he was the person that changed our culture from being a nice middle class club in the 70's to a hard edge feared side. For a while he was the club. listen to any of Watson or TD etc and they will tell you he really shook the place up. It is too bad no one way able to keep the momentum going. Only thing he really did wrong was stay one contract too long.

Tim is very diplomatic.

 

[ant555]

Tim is very diplomatic.

Not always.

 

[Vander18]

This continues to bother me - just had an article pop up in my FB feed about “our immortal Sheeds.”

Every time I see it referenced it bothers me that he occupies a place in our history as our only immortal. I know that’s just for now but that’s why he should never have gone first. He should never have been in this position, only Reynolds should have ever been our only immortal (even for the limited time that it’s the case).

 

[ant555]

This continues to bother me - just had an article pop up in my FB feed about “our immortal Sheeds.”

Every time I see it referenced it bothers me that he occupies a place in our history as our only immortal. I know that’s just for now but that’s why he should never have gone first. He should never have been in this position, only Reynolds should have ever been our only immortal (even for the limited time that it’s the case).

Reynolds should be and should have been the first. I would say Coleman as well. I have no issue with Sheedy being there. He took us from a nice middle class club with some good players to a club that played finals most years and a league power house. Not that it really bothers me all that much.

 

[yodellinhank]

Victorian of the year.

 

['51 Bewick]

Very bad decision IMO. King Richard hands down for me.