Jack Sheedy (Australian rules footballer)

John Cameron Sheedy (28 September 1926 – 23 February 2023) was an Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for East Fremantle and East Perth in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[6] Sheedy is considered one of the greatest ever footballers from Western Australia, being the first player from that state to play 300 games in elite Australian rules football, and was a member of both the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the West Australian Football Halls of Fame.

Jack Sheedy
Personal information
Full name John Cameron Sheedy
Nickname(s) "Mr. Football", "The Reverend"[1]
Date of birth (1926-09-28)28 September 1926
Date of death 23 February 2023(2023-02-23) (aged 96)
Original team(s) Fremantle (Fremantle Ex-Scholars)
Height 171 cm (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Weight 83 kg (183 lb)[2]
Position(s) Rover
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
1946–1955[3] East Fremantle 173 (266)[4]
1944 South Melbourne 6 (7)
1944–1946 Sydney Naval unknown
1956–1962 East Perth 122 (183)
Total 301 (456)[4]
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1946–1957 Western Australia 22 (24)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1949, 1952 East Fremantle 39 (23–16–0)
1956–1964, 1969 East Perth 223 (149–72–3)
1960–63 Western Australia 10 (2–8–0)
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Overall, he played 323 senior career matches from 1944 to 1962, kicking 480 senior career goals,[4] and also coached 272 senior career games, with a winning percentage of 65%.

Playing career

Early career and naval service

The son of A. F. "Barney" Sheedy, a former East Fremantle player and WAFL interstate representative, Sheedy attended Richmond State School in East Fremantle and Fremantle Boys' School in Fremantle, captaining both schools' football teams.[7] He also led the school's batting averages at cricket, and later played First Grade cricket for the Fremantle Cricket Club in the Western Australian Grade Cricket competition. After leaving school, he played for Fremantle in the Fremantle Ex-Scholars competition, before making his debut for East Fremantle in the age-restricted WANFL competition in 1942. He won the Lynn Medal as the club's best and fairest in 1943, and played in East Fremantle's premiership win over Swan Districts. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy in March 1944, at only 17 years of age,[8] and was immediately posted to Melbourne. He was signed by South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL),[9] where he played six games, kicking seven goals. Sheedy's unit then went to Sydney in, where he played with Sydney Naval, including in their 1944 premiership win in the New South Wales Australian National Football League (NSWANFL). He had kicked the winning goal in the preliminary final against Newtown the previous week with less than three minutes remaining in the match.[10][11] He kicked 12 goals in three rounds in 1946 before he returned to Western Australia.[12]

Return to Western Australia

Sheedy immediately made his senior debut for East Fremantle.[13]

Transfer to East Perth and coaching career

Sheedy transferred to East Perth for the 1956 season, where he was immediately appointed captain-coach of the club.

Sheedy served as captain-coach of East Perth from 1956 to 1961, and as non-playing coach from 1962 to 1964, with one final season in 1969.

Personal life and death

Sheedy worked as a clerk at the Fremantle Harbour Trust.[14]

Sheedy died on 24 February 2023, at the age of 96.[15]

Legacy and honours

Sheedy had a reputation as one of the toughest and most violent players in the WANFL, and was suspended numerous times.

In 2001 Sheedy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. In 2004 he was inducted to the West Australian Football Hall of Fame and in 2005 he was elevated to Legend Status.

References
  1. Jack Sheedy: Mr. Football – FootyGoss. Posted 16 June 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  2. "Champion Footballer" – Western Mail. Published Thursday, 16 September 1948. Retrieved from Trove, 3 October 2011.
  3. The WAFL was an under-19s competition from 1942-1944 due to the loss of players to serve in World War II.
  4. These tallies exclude 37 matches and 48 goals in the WAFL's 1942-1944 under-19s competition.
  5. EPFC Life Members Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – eastperthfc.com.au. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  6. "WA's goalkicking frenzy". Football Budget. West Australian Football Commission. 30 May 2009. p. 10. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  7. "EAST FREMANTLE'S ROVER" – The Western Mail. Published Thursday, 19 July 1951. Retrieved from Trove, 3 October 2011.
  8. WW2 Nominal Roll
  9. "HAWTHORN LOSES STAR PLAYER". The Argus. Melbourne. 10 April 1944. p. 8. Retrieved 3 June 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "COOL KICK GAVE SUCCESS" – The Sydney Morning Herald. Published Monday, 18 September 1944. Retrieved from Trove, 3 October 2011.
  11. "New Centre's Big Part In Rules Win" – The Sydney Morning Herald. Published Monday, 13 May 1946. Retrieved from Trove, 3 October 2011.
  12. "AUSTRALIAN RULES" – The Sydney Morning Herald. Published Monday, 13 May 1946. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  13. Sandover Medal runners-up
  14. "Old Easts have unique record" – Western Mail. Published Thursday, 9 September 1954. Retrieved from Trove, 3 October 2011.
  15. Legendary WA footballer Jack Sheedy dies at 96
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