KEVIN Sheedy returns to Essendon on Monday, his first official day in his new role at the club.

 

AFL.com.au spoke to four former Essendon players about what the four-time premiership coach can bring to the club in his position as general manager of commercial development and innovation.

 

 

"Any positive publicity is good publicity, so I think it's a great thing [he's back at Essendon]. He's done about as much as he could up north, and I hope [his exit] doesn't affect GWS in the scheme of things.

 

He's coming back at a pretty important time as to where the club's at, and hopefully he can steer them back into the right direction. They need a hand. We don't know what the outcome is going to be with all of this ASADA stuff, but nevertheless he's coached James Hird, he's worked with Mark Harvey before, so it can only be good.

 

His marketing prowess will help the club also. Through all of this I've felt a little bit for the supporters, and obviously the players are high up there too – they have done a marvelous job to stick together apart from a couple who have moved on.

 

It will give the supporters a bit of heart to see Kevin come back into the system at Essendon and hopefully things will turn out all right for them with the Tribunal and we can get on with our footy.

 

[When Sheedy started as coach in 1981] he lifted the bar a lot more. The workload intensified, he got us fitter, we worked harder and had a lot of game-simulated drills. He built the club on the field as well as off the field."

 

 

"Through talking to people, I feel like people have lost a bit of faith in the club so I think [his return] will certainly get the supporters feeling like the club is moving in the right direction. I know there's been a big push since 'Sheeds' left the club to get him back.

 

It would be very hard for the club to be progressive with everything that's going on at the moment so hopefully in Sheeds' role he can focus more on being leaders again. A lot of clubs have caught up and gone past us.

 

The most important thing is to galvanise the club outside. I think the players are pretty galvanised and the coaches are committed, but I think there's some factions among some disheartened supporters so I think Sheeds will certainly help in sending the right messages out there and doing the right things so we're moving forward.

 

Now that I've walked away from the club, sometimes you don't realise the opportunity you had [to play under him].

 

There's a lot you can take from what he says and does – and there's some you can't – but he does talk a lot and if you can walk away as a player with one or two things to work on that was how he did it.

 

He threw a lot of stuff at you as a player, he challenged you quite a bit and never made you feel totally comfortable in your place [in the team]."

 

 

"I've coached against him, coached beside him as an assistant and also played for him.

 

He knew and understood Essendon people, the club's history and what made it a great club, and always taught us young blokes coming through as players under him – and coaches with him – to look out for our club and never bring harm to our club.

 

He greatly admired [Essendon] people like Jack Clarke, Ken Fraser and Don McKenzie, and had a great relationship with [administrators] Greg Sewell and the late, great Graeme McMahon. When McMahan and 'Sheeds' left, I reckon the void of strength of leadership and the understanding of Essendon people has never ever come close to being filled.

 

And that's got nothing to do with Kevin's coaching, it's Kevin the person. What left when Kevin Sheedy left wasn't his coaching ability, it was stability. Essendon really missed his wisdom.

 

Having said all I've said, it is therefore disappointing that he has to come back. It's a reflection of past and present incompetence that we need a stabiliser, a strong leader, a figurehead, a person that understands.

 

As Sheeds has said, whether you barrack for Essendon or not, it is a great club. He's been asked to put his hand up and he's put his hand up, so good on him."

 

 

"I think it's going to be a positive. Everybody forgets the state of the Essendon Football Club when he first took over. It didn't have many members and wasn't very successful and he almost singlehandedly took it into an Australia-wide company and club.

 

It can only be good given the drama of the past two years and I think he's the perfect man to come in and lift the spirits.

 

[He was my only coach at Essendon] and the thing I loved about him the most was that if you did something bad he'd rip into you, but the next day he'd be patting you on the back for doing something great.

 

In 1993 (When Essendon won its third premiership under Sheedy) he pretty much just said to take it on. We were sponsored back then by the TAC, so our motto all year was 'Speed Kills', although that didn't really fit for me. To win a Grand Final was unheard of and he was the catalyst for that whole year.

 

He was the first to be a coach, a promoter, a publicist. He was the jack-of-all-trades, and all the money he got paid, he was worth every cent for what he did. It's a prerequisite for all coaches now, if you're a senior coach you need to get out there and promote your club.

 

The good thing about Sheeds is everything is always a positive. If we got thumped on a Saturday, he'd reflect for about five minutes before he'd go on to the next game. His mantra's all about being positive, meeting the people and trying to tell how great the Essendon Football Club was and still is, and to remind people of that."