Kevin Sheedy Reflects on AFL Passion Post-Coaching Career, Compares Rising Star Harley Reid to Tim Watson

AFL legend Kevin Sheedy still has a deep passion for the game despite hanging up his coaching boots at the end of the 2023 season.

Sheedy’s illustrious career includes 251 games as a player for Richmond, where he won three premierships. He then transitioned to coaching, leading Essendon from 1981 to 2007 and securing four flags before coaching GWS in their inaugural two seasons in 2012 and 2013.

Although the 76-year-old is no longer coaching, he remains active in the sport as a member of Essendon’s board of directors and frequently attends Dons’ matches.

Sheedy also enjoys watching Richmond and GWS games and scouting top young talent in the league, such as West Coast’s Harley Reid.

“I go to watch every week, mostly Essendon, obviously,” Sheedy told SEN Breakfast. “But if Essendon is away, I might go and watch another game.

“I’m a life member of the Giants and Richmond, so I get to some of their games and see how they’re positioning themselves. And I also make time to watch a guy called Harley Reid.”

Sheedy compares Reid, the No. 1 draft pick, to a young Tim Watson, whom he coached for most of his career. Watson debuted for the Dons at just 15 years and 305 days old, and Sheedy sees a similar vibrant speed in Reid’s first nine games.

“With Reid, I thought he reminded me of Tim Watson,” Sheedy said. “Tim Watson was such a vibrant speed player that I think a lot of people forget about it. All they think about him is that he’s the Channel 7 newsreader. But Tim Watson played VFL at age 15 years and 10 months, about two and a half years earlier than Harley.

“Harley Reid reminds me of Tim Watson.”

Reid would undoubtedly aspire to have a career like Watson’s, who ended his time with three premierships, four best and fairest awards, and a place in the Essendon Team of the Century.