PLAYER-COACH: 1942-1962

GAMES: 360: East Fremantle 210; East Perth 122; South Melbourne 6; WA 22

PREMIERSHIPS: East Fremantle 1943, 46; East Perth Captain-coach 1956, 58-59

HONOURS:  East Fremantle fairest and best 1943, 48, 53, 55; Captain-coach 1949, 52; captain 1949, 50, 55; East Perth captain 1956, 62; coach 1956-64, 1969; Captain East Fremantle team of the century; patron East Fremantle;  Vice-patron Fremantle Dockers

If Victoria had Ted Whitten then WA had Jack Sheedy, both men known as “Mr Football”.  Sheedy is one of the greats, playing in five premiership sides at two different clubs and representing WA 22 times.  He was also a master coach.  Made his debut with East Fremantle at 15 in 1942 and played briefly for South Melbourne in 1944 while on duty in the Navy.   Sheedy was a tough and uncompromising rover with great kicking and handball skills.  A member of East Fremantle’s undefeated team in 1946 he was appointed captain-coach three years later at the age of 22.  His greatest disappointment as a player was losing the 1955 grand final to Perth by two points.  East Fremantle supporters were devastated when Sheedy joined East Perth as captain-coach and took it to a premiership the next season. 

The Royals played in six successive grand finals under Sheedy, winning another two flags in 1958 and 59.  Sheedy moulded East Perth into a champion team around brilliant young ruckman Graham Farmer.  Sheedy convinced Farmer to use handball as an offensive tool at ball-ups and Polly went on to revolutionise the art of ruck play, especially when he moved to Victoria.  He is now a legend in the AFL Hall of Fame.  Sheedy still rates the 1956 flag as a highlight East Perth’s first premiership since 1944.  Another wonderful chapter in the story was when Sheedy coached WA to a famous title in the 1961 Australian carnival at Brisbane.  He became a successful publican in Perth and Fremantle, and was a commentator on Chanel 7’s popular World of Football.  He also returned to where it all started as a patron of East Fremantle and a vice-patron of the Fremantle Dockers.