“Everybody thought 30 years ago that going to Sydney was foolish. It’s been sensational. We’ve probably taken too long to get here [into western Sydney],” Sheedy said as he toured the new AFL facilities under construction at Blacktown Olympic Park on Monday.
“It wasn’t easy to go and put the Swans in Sydney and it wasn’t easy to put the Brisbane Bears on the Gold Coast, which… went on to win three premierships from four grand finals.
“Just say we kept the 12 clubs like the old days in the VFL… that’s six franchises that would not be here today if we didn’t get out, get off our backsides and make things happen for the youth of Australia and for the game that some people love – not everyone, but some.”
Sheedy was joined by AFL commissioner Sam Mostyn at the construction site for the stadium that will host this year’s NAB AFL Under-16 Championships in July.
Mostyn said existing clubs fully supported the plans for a western Sydney team by 2012.
“Clearly, as a commission, we take very seriously our responsibility with the money we manage and the development of the game and our expansion plans,” she said.
“We’ve looked at what’s happening in our clubs, with some of the stresses that are going on with their sponsors and their members, but we still think this is a perfect time to be launching a team out here in the west of Sydney, just as we thought with the Gold Coast licence in the south-east of Queensland.
“We won’t make silly decisions.”
Sheedy said Sydney’s greater western region was an untapped resource of potential Australian footballer that needed to be explored.
“I’d love to see the captain of West Sydney come from here. We don’t know the talent that’s here. We haven’t investigated it yet,” he said.
“The second draft pick in last year’s national draft [Nicholas Naitanui] is a Fijian boy, six-foot-six, because his mother came to live in Australia. I’m going to Fiji this year to have a look to see if there are any more [like him].
“If you walk around with your eyes shut, you won’t see much.”
Sheedy conceded that his view of the game’s future in western Sydney was optimistic but he insisted he was sincere.
The four-time premiership coach stressed the need for the proposed club’s first coach to be a correct fit for the challenges he would face.
“You need a person with a proper understanding, an intelligence and a person who can develop an area. Look at Paul Roos – he’s the perfect coach for Sydney,” Sheedy said.
When asked if he would consider the job himself, he said it had never been discussed.
“Mate, when you’re 60, they don’t employ you in Australia any more. They just make you walk around and make you feel like you’ve done good,” Sheedy said with a laugh.
