Dons regain finals focus
07 February 2008 Herald Sun
MARK McVeigh can pinpoint Round 13, July 6, at Telstra Dome as the night Essendon's 2007 season turned pear-shaped.
Going into the match against a red-hot Geelong, the Bombers were a healthy 8-5 and on track to play finals.
And they were right in that game until match-ending injuries to Alwyn Davey and James Hird, and game-restricting injuries to three others, ended what had been an enthralling contest.
From that point on the season became a tale of woe, the club winning just two more games.
And, according to McVeigh, the July announcement that Kevin Sheedy's 27-year reign as coach was over did little to help.
"While we as players may not have spoken about the Sheedy decision a lot, it provided confusion and distraction around the club," McVeigh said yesterday.
"We felt the announcement could have been made a bit later, particularly as we were still in the fight for the finals."
It was Sheedy who gave McVeigh, 27, his chance in 1999. From Terrigal on the New South Wales Central Coast, McVeigh was taken with pick No. 9 in 1998.
McVeigh remains a Sheedy fan, admitting after a morning of school clinics and surfing that he has remained in contact with him.
So what of new coach Matthew Knights?
"I have been blown away by his professionalism and he is someone who has put a lot of ownership on the players. He is a coach we will play for when things get tough," McVeigh said.
"Everything has been stripped back at the club because we don't accept the position we are in.
"As a leadership group, we are unhappy with where we are at because of not playing finals.
"We have tried to rectify our attitudes towards training and improve the level of respect within the club. I'm excited by it because we are heading in the right direction."
McVeigh also remains in close contact with Hird, someone he contacts in an effort to improve his leadership skills and someone he believes will one day return to the club.
"He does miss it already and I'm sure if he wants to, James would be an outstanding coach," he said.
McVeigh has been in his element in the past three days as the Bombers have spread the footballing gospel to northern NSW and Gold Coast schoolchildren, and he has had the occasional romp in his beloved surf.
Unlike many footballers who relocate to Melbourne, McVeigh intends to return to Terrigal when his playing days are over.
"My girlfriend comes from there and I also want to be closer to Mum and Dad," he said. "I love the surfing lifestyle and it's a perfect place to bring up kids."
07 February 2008 Herald Sun
MARK McVeigh can pinpoint Round 13, July 6, at Telstra Dome as the night Essendon's 2007 season turned pear-shaped.
Going into the match against a red-hot Geelong, the Bombers were a healthy 8-5 and on track to play finals.
And they were right in that game until match-ending injuries to Alwyn Davey and James Hird, and game-restricting injuries to three others, ended what had been an enthralling contest.
From that point on the season became a tale of woe, the club winning just two more games.
And, according to McVeigh, the July announcement that Kevin Sheedy's 27-year reign as coach was over did little to help.
"While we as players may not have spoken about the Sheedy decision a lot, it provided confusion and distraction around the club," McVeigh said yesterday.
"We felt the announcement could have been made a bit later, particularly as we were still in the fight for the finals."
It was Sheedy who gave McVeigh, 27, his chance in 1999. From Terrigal on the New South Wales Central Coast, McVeigh was taken with pick No. 9 in 1998.
McVeigh remains a Sheedy fan, admitting after a morning of school clinics and surfing that he has remained in contact with him.
So what of new coach Matthew Knights?
"I have been blown away by his professionalism and he is someone who has put a lot of ownership on the players. He is a coach we will play for when things get tough," McVeigh said.
"Everything has been stripped back at the club because we don't accept the position we are in.
"As a leadership group, we are unhappy with where we are at because of not playing finals.
"We have tried to rectify our attitudes towards training and improve the level of respect within the club. I'm excited by it because we are heading in the right direction."
McVeigh also remains in close contact with Hird, someone he contacts in an effort to improve his leadership skills and someone he believes will one day return to the club.
"He does miss it already and I'm sure if he wants to, James would be an outstanding coach," he said.
McVeigh has been in his element in the past three days as the Bombers have spread the footballing gospel to northern NSW and Gold Coast schoolchildren, and he has had the occasional romp in his beloved surf.
Unlike many footballers who relocate to Melbourne, McVeigh intends to return to Terrigal when his playing days are over.
"My girlfriend comes from there and I also want to be closer to Mum and Dad," he said. "I love the surfing lifestyle and it's a perfect place to bring up kids."
