Crossing the Line

The roles and responsibilites that come with being an AFL Coach are many and varied.
Kevin Sheedy is a footballing legend, no one can argue that.
Multiple premierships as a player, 27 years at the helm as coach of the Bombers, including four premierships and seven grand finals.
When he speaks about the game, people listen and it is in this regard that he has overstepped the line in recent weeks.
Since his departure from Essendon at the end of 2007, Sheedy has been an outspoken observer on all aspects of the game in a number of different mediums, most notibly through his role with the Herald Sun.
However right now, Kevin Sheedy is not just a Herald Sun journo, and a former Essendon coach. He is the current coach of an AFL franchise in Greater West Sydney and with this should come an extra element of responsibility and restraint.

Not only that, but he is also the President of the Coaches association, and has felt the need to attack both Mick Malthouse and Matthew Knights in recent weeks.

In the last three weeks, Kevin Sheedy has also written an article outlining the responsibility all clubs have to "pillage" Geelong's list in a way of evening up the competition.
Through this he publicly analysed Geelong's list and essentially picked it apart for all to see.
GWS find themselves in a unique position, no doubt, and yes they will be coming for some of Geelong's stars, and those of many other clubs, but this sort of article is innapropriate given the role Sheedy holds as coach, and through the association.

Could you imagine Michael Voss coming out and saying next year we are gunning for Bartel, Corey, Stokes and Chapman?
It's just not the way it's done, and Sheedy has a responsibility to show due respect to the Cats in his role as a coach of a rival club, something he has failed to do here.

However where I think he has really crossed the line is through his attack on the Essendon football club and his successor Matthew Knights.

This is wrong on three levels, firstly a lot of what Sheedy says is fundamentally incorrect, secondly it is potentially destabilising for a club that he had so much to do with for so long, and thirdly once again he is out of line to be meddling in the coaching affairs of a rival club whilst he is currently involved with GWS.

Kevin Sheedy has questioned on more then one occasion whether Matthew Knights was the right man, and quoted reasons such as the desire to go outside the Essendon Football Club in search of a successor.

Kevin need remember his own background. Limited coaching experience, after a distinguished playing career at Richmond. Matthew Knights comes from that same background, Sheedy was not an Essendon person when hired, so that is a touch hypocritical.

It also seems a touch egotistical, in that the names Sheedy raised are guys he coached who are out in the market place, namely Bomber Thompson, Damien Hardwick, Mark Harvey and Dean Bailey.

Sheedy is portraying a belief that the club overlooked people "he had groomed" for success in favour of someone outside the club which reeks a bit of arrogance.

He also need remember that Essendon's plight is largely due to his doing.
Sheedy was a remarkable coach of Essendon, but he went on at least three years too long. Essendon's premiership tilt of the early part of the century was over by 2003, it was here they needed a rebuild.
Instead players like Mal Michael, Ty Zantuck, Justin Murphy, Matthew Allan, Scott Camporeale, and Chris Heffernan (redrafted) were brought into the club in an attempt to keep them in the finals.

This backfired with the Bombers falling into the bottom four by 2005 and remaining out of the eight until last year.
Sheedy also had a reluctance to pick the kids in his last few years, due to a desire to remain competitive.
I imagine this stems from a reality that his time at the club was nearing an end, and he was attempting to delay the inevitable by picking list cloggers that exist merely to keep a club competitive.

Matthew Knights came in, and a mini clean out followed, the Bombers injected youth in 2008 and showed signs of improvement, following that up in 2009 with some exciting football and a surprise finals appearance.
On that note, Knights first two years were a big tick, but it was that surprise finals appearance that has hurt him now.
Essendon made the eight on the back of 10 wins which over inflated a few opinions as to where they were at.

Right now, on the back of some injuries, a tough draw, and a drop in confidence Essendon have fallen away.

Knights may and probably will pay the price but I firmly believe that's unfair.
Lloyd and Lucas were not going to be a part of Essendon's next premiership team, and make no mistake, Scott Lucas was finished as a player.
Lloyd we need also remember was going to miss the first six weeks of the season anyway, and his body had been showing signs of wear and tear for two years.
Gumbleton, Hurley, Danniher and co are the future and giving them games is the best way to fast track that.
Sheedy would have kept probably both Lloyd and Lucas but that was part of the problem in the first place.
Keeping veterans too long saw Essendon get to the predicament they did 4-5 years ago.
Perhaps from a PR point of view, Knights could have managed it better, but the decision in essence was correct.

Sheedy is no longer the coach of Essendon, and his comments smack of pigheadedness and a lack of respect.

Throw in his remarks this week that Mick Malthouse is "the grumpiest man in the league" and has trouble building a list and we are seeing an alarming trend.

"There's no reason why I can't make comment on any club" Sheedy said on SEN yesterday.

"I'm not going to wait for anyone to tell me when I can make a comment about any club, any time.

"It's very, very awkward, but when you're working in the press and media, at times you have to make a comment that doesn't please everybody"

Well Sheeds, I'm sorry but yes there is a dam good reason why you can't, and the sooner you realise this the better.

A role within the media is fine, but it needs to be handled with due responsibility. Your primary responsibility remains to the game, and to your colleagues within the coaching ranks.

Coaches Association Chief Executive Danny Frawley admitted there were concerns.
"At times we think the lines have been crossed and we have had that discussion" he said.

"There's a fine line where he goes over and above.

"Would he be making comments if he was actually coaching a team on match day? Probably not"

Well if this is the case, then he shouldn't be making them now.

Sheedy is a great salesman, and will be fantastic for the game in GWS.

However with every role comes responsibility, and unfortunately in the last month, Sheedy has let his ego take control and entered into areas a man in his position should not.

His responsibilites as the President of the coaching association, and as an Essendon legend demand some restraint.

It's time he shows it.