Early Days
Sheedy was born to devout Catholic parents Tom and Irene Sheedy (maiden name Nixon), the third of seven children. He had three sisters (Barbara, Kathleen and Anne-Maree) and three brothers (Patrick, Bernard and John).
Sheedy played junior football with the local Try Boys society team whilst attending De La Salle College, Malvern, where future teammate Kevin Bartlett also spent a brief time. In 1963, he joined Prahran in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and spent a year with the thirds. The next year at the age of 16, he played senior football with the Two Blues and was soon a regular with the team. His home was in Melbourne's zone, so he took up an invitation to try out with the Demons, playing a few practice matches. But Sheedy didn't feel comfortable there and returned to Prahran, playing in the club's Second Division premiership team in 1966.
By now, Richmond had shown some interest in the young centreman and received permission from Melbourne to speak with him. Sheedy jumped at the chance to join the up and coming Tigers, but a problem emerged when he shifted to Punt Road. The VFA refused to endorse his clearance due to a disagreement with the VFL. Encouraged by his mother, Sheedy decided to move to Richmond anyway. As a consequence he was barred from playing in any Australian National Football Council (ANFC) competition anywhere in Australia for five years.
Another hurdle to jump was Billy Barrot. Barrot, a star player loved by the Tiger fans, played in Sheedy's favoured position of centre. Fortunately for Sheedy, Barrot was somewhat temperamental and prone to miss some matches. When he was injured in the third game of the year, Sheedy was selected in his place for his debut. But Sheedy struggled and after six games in the seniors found himself back in the reserves for the remainder of the year. His season was ended by a serious knee injury that further put his future into doubt. From the sidelines, he watched Richmond win the premiership against Geelong.
Read more about this topic: Kevin Sheedy (Australian Footballer)
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