Stars of Tigerland Kevin Sheedy
Kevin John Sheedy AM (24 December 1947)
Kevin Sheedy played for the Richmond Tigers between 1967 and 1979,
He played 251 games and kicked 91 goals, was a member of a winning Tigers side166 times, he also played in 20 finals of which he was a
member of the winning team 14 times. Recognized today as the Master coach with an enviable record, Kevin has played in and coached over 1000 games, has been All Australian coach on three occasions.
Kevin came to the Tigers in 1967 as a 19 yr old centreman from the VFA club Prahran, and made his debut in rnd 3 in the Tigers clash with Fitzroy, he collected 18 disposals that day, needing to unseat Tigers legend Bill Barrot to remain in the side Kevin struggled and after rnd 8 found himself back in the reserves, unfortunately Kevin suffered a knee injury that side lined him for the final part of the season and he watched the victorious 1967 Tigers from the sideline. He returned in 1968 and cemented his place in the Tigers side, coach Tommy Hafey liked Kevin's determination and sheer desire for the ball and played him in the back pocket, Kevin played the game hard, he enjoyed niggling his opponents and driving opposition fans mad with his antics and amazingly he was never reported during his career. In 1969 Kevin played every game for the Tigers culminating in another grand final victory, but his celebrations were pretty short lived, he had been called up for National Service, so he went from playing in the grand final on Saturday to being in the army on Monday. 1969 must have been the year of the Tiger, the Balmain Tigers won the NSWRL, Claremont Tigers won the WAFL, Glenelg Tigers the SANFL, and The MIGHTY Richmond Tigers the VFL.
The 1972 grand final was a turning point in Kevin's career, with the Tigers going into halftime trailing Carlton by 45 ponts, and Kevin having been found out of position a number of times, he was moved to an on the ball role, now back as a centreman Kevin reveled in that position. In 1973 he was still in the on ball role and had a large impact on the Tigers season and would lead the charge kicking all the Tigers first quarter goals in their memorable grand final triumph over Carlton, a game that was marred by two controversial incidents, Laurie Fowler KO'd Carlton captain-coach John Nicholls with a stinging shirtfront, Neil Balme later broke the jaw of Blues' full-back Geoff Southby. “Ian Stewart and I had made up our minds that we were going to kick at least five or six between us and add value on top of our forward line, Stewie was very good like that, he'd set a target and we'd sit down and have a chat about it, and that's what we did.” Kevin recalls. They both finished with three goals a piece, and the Tigers with a 30-point win. The Tigers had their revenge. And another premiership.
Kevin played many great games for the Tigers during his career, but Kevin kept his best for when it was needed most, on grand final day 1974 against the D R Kangaroos as the Tigers attempted to go back-to-back. There was no Norm Smith Medal in 1974 if there had been Kevin would probably have won it, a clear best-on-ground performance with 29 disposals and two goals. He also got the Tigers back in the match with the one of the cheekiest stunts seen in a grand final, taking a mark next to the point post Kevin looked to be lining up for a shot on goal, but he instead lobbed a handball over the top to Mike Green in the goals square for the simplest of goals. “Mike was always going crook at me for giving lookaway handballs, so he knew it was coming," he recalls.
Kevin won the Tigers best and fairest in 1976, he was shocked when his good friend and mentor Tommy Hafey left the Tigers in 1976, Kevin lost some of his zing after that , although he continued to be a great asset and captained the Tigers in the 1978 season, at the beginning of the 1979 , he saw the writing on the wall and after starting most games on the bench promptly retired. Never the most elegant or poised of footballers, his gutsy, hard-as-nails approach disguised a masterful football brain which would later be put to supreme use as coach of Essendon. As a player, it was evidenced in his uncanny ability to achieve the wood on ostensibly more talented opponents, often by the application of psychological methods which were not immediately susceptible to scrutiny. “He wasn’t the greatest of footballers, but he got everything out of himself that he could,” Tommy Hafey Kevin Sheedy's Career Highlights Hall of Fame Inductee: 2002 Playing Career: 1967 – 1979 Games: 251 Goals: 91 Premierships: 1969, 1973, 1974 Best & Fairest: 1976 RFC Captain: 1978 Interstate Games: 8 RFC Life Member 1976 RFC Team of the Century AFL Life Member
