A large part of Kevin Sheedy’s job description at GWS is to get his name in the paper. That’s fine, I get that. But last time I checked, he has two roles that should take precedent over that, especially when it comes to criticising fellow coaches – something that he’s been doing quite a bit of lately.
He’s publicly criticised the appointment of his successor at Essendon, Matthew Knights, and – the day after Collingwood assumed top spot on the ladder – he took an extraordinary swipe at Mick Malthouse, saying he’s never built a premiership side from scratch and that the Pies won’t win the comp this year.
If Sheedy were nothing more than a retired coach, committing to nothing other than media gigs, accepting these comments would be easy. But he’s not.
He’s a current coach, and he’s the president of the Coaches Association.
Now fair enough, his role at GWS this year is less hands-on than it will be in the next two, but he’s still considered that club’s head coach. And that fact alone would make his public statements puzzling.
It is accepted among the coaching fraternity that coaches do not publicly criticise each other. After all, coaches are scrutinised enough without having to deal with their own peers turning up the heat.
This unwritten rule has been thrown out the window by Sheedy.
The fact he is president of the Coaches Association, however, takes it to a whole new level entirely. It’s simply astounding that the person with that job title would so blatantly, and so publicly, call out two of his members.
The Coaches Association is supposed to support its members. It’s there to make sure they get a fair go. And if the body were a true representation of the coaches, then it’d definitely oppose the intense media spotlight that’s all too easily thrust on coaches under pressure.
In Knights’ case, he certainly didn’t need Sheedy’s comments adding fuel to an already strongly-lit fire.
Tellingly, even Sheedy’s own chief executives have had a gutful. GWS chief Dale Holmes has said: “I don't think it's gracious or dignified for us to be getting involved in other club's business. We really need Kevin to be focused on our club.”
CEO of the Coaches Association, Danny Frawley, has had enough too: “He’s been a frontier man as far as getting the association off the ground. But maybe it is time to have a look at someone that hasn’t got a conflict of interest as a president.
Both men are on the money. If Sheeds does not know how to juggle so many different hats, then he should do the decent thing and start handing them over to people who will be able to do those jobs without a conflict of interest.
In the meantime, just shutting up about other coaches would be a good start.
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