Latest news with #Sheedy
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
If Mal wants success in the west he must follow Sheedy's blueprint
He has not coached an NRL team since the Raiders in 2001 and was not successful. His coaching success came with the Maroons' golden run in State of Origin, and, to a lesser extent, the Kangaroos. As coach of Australia, he suffered some significant losses to Tonga and New Zealand over the years, but he did a wonderful job restoring the Kangaroos' 'brand', and driving the return of the Kangaroo Tour to England, which will take place later this year, now with a different task master. His age should matter little, as Sheedy proved. Throw in Wayne Bennett (75) and Craig Bellamy (65) and we have enough evidence the job can be done by those of pension age. The question remains though about his lack of NRL head coach time. Representative coaching and club coaching are two vastly different beasts, as Michael Maguire can attest to. The GWS podcast explores how Sheedy went about his role. Yes, he was head coach, but he was surrounded by assistants who did most of the heavy lifting. Key was Mark Williams, the Port Adelaide premiership-winning coach, who acted as much more than assistant. Sheedy spent most of his time whipping up a frenzy about the new team in a hostile environment. Meninga can handle himself in the media. But Sheedy is a master. He got stuck into the Swans, rugby league, rugby union, even AFL head office which appointed him. He was in search of buzz and noise. One-liners made front and back page news. Any publicity was good publicity. He took no prisoners but he was also humorous, and the way he went about it was likeable. With unending energy, he spent significant time nurturing sponsors and wooing business heavyweights. Before taking the role, Sheedy and his wife Stephanie were considering a six or 12-month sabbatical in the south of France or Italy as they headed toward retirement, free from the day-to-day rigours of a high-profile role at a massive club in the AFL. A decompress. When he decided to take the job, he and Stephanie threw away their romantic idea of a European sojourn and were in, boots and all. They moved to Sydney immediately, a full two years ahead of the team's entry into the competition. 'Sheedy had no interest in taking the job to boost his retirement savings. He wanted to be the ultimate disruptor.' Rather than strolling through the vineyards of France or Tuscany, the pair woke each morning and drove to different parts of Western Sydney, and did this for months. From Richmond in the north, west to the foot of the Blue Mountains and down to Campbelltown in the south west. He was able to rattle off the suburbs like the alphabet. They set about finding out what made the area tick, what sort of people lived there, what businesses were there. What were their dreams and aspirations? What would make them want to support a new team in a code foreign to most of them? Sheedy had no interest in taking the job merely to boost his retirement savings. He wanted to be the ultimate disruptor and set the club up for the future. Meninga, who has a young family with three kids aged nine to eleven with second wife Amanda, has to do the same. Boots and all. There has been some talk he will stay in Canberra initially as the club begins recruiting in earnest, but that won't cut it. The Bears have a shorter lead time than GWS did, and AFL was better established as a brand in Sydney thanks to the Swans, than the NRL is in Perth where the Bears will be the ultimate outsiders. Loading Sheedy was also known better in Sydney than Meninga is in Perth. He commanded an immediate presence. Yes, finding players is a major part of the job. Finding fans and corporate support is bigger. When the Bears run on, there have to be big crowds in attendance week-in, week-out, otherwise the NRL's 18th team will sink like a stone. Luckily he has a blueprint to work from. The AFL and Sheedy wrote it for him.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
If Mal wants success in the west he must follow Sheedy's blueprint
He has not coached an NRL team since the Raiders in 2001 and was not successful. His coaching success came with the Maroons' golden run in State of Origin, and, to a lesser extent, the Kangaroos. As coach of Australia, he suffered some significant losses to Tonga and New Zealand over the years, but he did a wonderful job restoring the Kangaroos' 'brand', and driving the return of the Kangaroo Tour to England, which will take place later this year, now with a different task master. His age should matter little, as Sheedy proved. Throw in Wayne Bennett (75) and Craig Bellamy (65) and we have enough evidence the job can be done by those of pension age. The question remains though about his lack of NRL head coach time. Representative coaching and club coaching are two vastly different beasts, as Michael Maguire can attest to. The GWS podcast explores how Sheedy went about his role. Yes, he was head coach, but he was surrounded by assistants who did most of the heavy lifting. Key was Mark Williams, the Port Adelaide premiership-winning coach, who acted as much more than assistant. Sheedy spent most of his time whipping up a frenzy about the new team in a hostile environment. Meninga can handle himself in the media. But Sheedy is a master. He got stuck into the Swans, rugby league, rugby union, even AFL head office which appointed him. He was in search of buzz and noise. One-liners made front and back page news. Any publicity was good publicity. He took no prisoners but he was also humorous, and the way he went about it was likeable. With unending energy, he spent significant time nurturing sponsors and wooing business heavyweights. Before taking the role, Sheedy and his wife Stephanie were considering a six or 12-month sabbatical in the south of France or Italy as they headed toward retirement, free from the day-to-day rigours of a high-profile role at a massive club in the AFL. A decompress. When he decided to take the job, he and Stephanie threw away their romantic idea of a European sojourn and were in, boots and all. They moved to Sydney immediately, a full two years ahead of the team's entry into the competition. 'Sheedy had no interest in taking the job to boost his retirement savings. He wanted to be the ultimate disruptor.' Rather than strolling through the vineyards of France or Tuscany, the pair woke each morning and drove to different parts of Western Sydney, and did this for months. From Richmond in the north, west to the foot of the Blue Mountains and down to Campbelltown in the south west. He was able to rattle off the suburbs like the alphabet. They set about finding out what made the area tick, what sort of people lived there, what businesses were there. What were their dreams and aspirations? What would make them want to support a new team in a code foreign to most of them? Sheedy had no interest in taking the job merely to boost his retirement savings. He wanted to be the ultimate disruptor and set the club up for the future. Meninga, who has a young family with three kids aged nine to eleven with second wife Amanda, has to do the same. Boots and all. There has been some talk he will stay in Canberra initially as the club begins recruiting in earnest, but that won't cut it. The Bears have a shorter lead time than GWS did, and AFL was better established as a brand in Sydney thanks to the Swans, than the NRL is in Perth where the Bears will be the ultimate outsiders. Loading Sheedy was also known better in Sydney than Meninga is in Perth. He commanded an immediate presence. Yes, finding players is a major part of the job. Finding fans and corporate support is bigger. When the Bears run on, there have to be big crowds in attendance week-in, week-out, otherwise the NRL's 18th team will sink like a stone. Luckily he has a blueprint to work from. The AFL and Sheedy wrote it for him.
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Liam Sheedy: What Tipperary management have done with Robert Doyle is 'off the charts'
Liam Sheedy likes the look of Tipperary defensively this year. He also believes this team is more capable of doing damage in the All-Ireland series compared to the last time they progressed beyond the Munster Championship in 2023. "It's the way we won in Ennis when it looked like it was getting away from them, that was massive for the group," the two-time All-Ireland winning Tipperary manager told Dalo's Hurling Show, an Irish Examiner podcast. "The last few years, one win in 14 was what you were looking at coming into these games. There was a lot of scepticism about it. "Liam (Cahill) has found a lot of energy and he's got a group defensively who can quench fires, a good physical presence and Eoghan Connolly's ability to hit long range frees is a real string to his bow. "Robert Doyle, marking Tony Kelly and Dessie Hutchinson, he's more or less put them to sleep. For a young lad who played up front with Clonoulty, what the management team have done with him is off the charts. "Waterford only scored 11 points in the second half. They have Dessie Hutchinson, Stephen Bennett, Jamie Barron - a good set of forwards - 11 points and the breeze was with them. I thought Tipp played really well defensively." Six years after he arrived on the inter-county scene, Sheedy thinks Jake Morris has "really come of age" this season. "Four points against Waterford (on Sunday)," said Sheedy. "Waterford, no matter who they sent to mind him, they couldn't mind him, they couldn't manage his movement. Andrew Ormond, he came on as a sub against Cork and tried really hard but the last two games... He came in in '21, was around the group but never really featured, but to see where he is now... The Clare match gave him massive confidence. "Jason (Forde), John (McGrath), some of them didn't find their flow yesterday but when you put them in the collective, they are working really hard. I think they got 10 points in total from turnovers (against Waterford)." With a little over two minutes of normal time to play at Semple Stadium on Sunday, Waterford's second surge of the game had reduced Tipperary's advantage to just three points. Then Oisín O'Donoghue found the back of the net to kill off the contest. Sheedy praised Darragh McCarthy's decision-making to create the goal. "When he was going in, you're wondering what was the best chance we have of getting a goal? He worked it out and said Oisín O'Donoghue was the best chance and he gave it off to him," said Sheedy. "There are some other forwards in the country who would me thinking 'me' and wouldn't be thinking 'team'. That shouldn't go unnoticed; his unselfishness is unbelievable, and it's a great example to the rest of the team that a guy 20 years young is able to make those types of decisions in the heat of battle of the Munster Championship." Sheedy believes that reaching an All-Ireland semi-final, considering the "maturity of the group with the new faces", would be real progress for Tipperary.
Wales Online
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Wales international launches into heated argument with referee amid calls for rule change
Wales international launches into heated argument with referee amid calls for rule change Former Bristol Bears man Callum Sheedy protested that he didn't know how long he had to take the kick. Wales international Callum Sheedy was not happy with the referee's decision. (Image: PREMIER SPORTS ) Callum Sheedy got into a feisty argument with the referee after a bizarre incident in the United Rugby Championship. Cardiff were playing DHL Stormers in their final game of the season, and the Welsh region had just scored through Gabriel Hamer-Webb following a fine cross-kick by Sheedy before half time. When Sheedy lined up the conversion, he was told by referee Gianluca Gnecchi: "20 seconds now, Callum, 20 seconds." The Welsh fly-half asked about a shot clock and Gnecchi confirmed there wasn't one in the stadium. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. As Sheedy eventually set up to take it, Gnecchi told him he had two seconds left, and the fly-half did not make the kick in time. The referee blew his whistle before the kick had sailed through the uprights, prompting a colourful response from Sheedy. Article continues below He protested with the referee that he thought the official had been checking a late shot on Hamer-Webb from Dave Ewers as the try was scored. Gnecchi assured Sheedy that the shot clock had already started. "Callum!," he said. "Let me explain. I wasn't checking anything, I was just looking at the screen." "There's no shot clock," said Sheedy. "So how do I know?" "I told you when it was 20," added Gnecchi. "But there's no shot clock!," said Sheedy. "My process is longer than 20." Turning to a member of the Cardiff backroom team, Gnecchi added: "Guys, I'll very clear on this so you can report it to your coaching team. There is no shot clock in this stadium. "So I said to your player (about) the seconds and he has to copy with that. Guys, we're going to discuss it later because that's the process here." Sheedy remained visually and verbally frustrated as he protested with the referee but the decision stood. Pundit Sean Holley called for standardisation across the board in the competition, saying: "Cardiff have lost an easy two points there, it should be a rule in the URC that every stadium is fitted with a shot-clock." Unfortunately for Cardiff, their night ended brutally with their play-off hopes extinguished. Tries from Danny Southworth, Gabriel Hamer-Webb, Harri Millard and Dafydd Hughes supplied hope for the Blue and Blacks, but a last-gasp penalty from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu denied them an extra bonus point. With Edinburgh beating Ulster, it meant that Matt Sherratt's side could not mathematically finish in the top eight. Article continues below Victory against Stormers would have secured them their first ever play-off appearance in the league, but now they'll have to wait for that opportunity and go again.
Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's rugby news as Welsh international's career ends abruptly and forgotten Wales star finds spark
Tonight's rugby news as Welsh international's career ends abruptly and forgotten Wales star finds spark The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world Callum Sheedy of Cardiff (Image: Getty Images ) Here are your rugby evening headlines for Wednesday, May 14. Lydiate's rugby career officially over Dan Lydiate has officially played his final game of professional rugby after the veteran flanker was ruled out of the Dragon's final URC match against the Vodacom Bulls due to concussion. The Dragons will travel from Cape Town to Pretoria without Lydiate, Jared Rosser (pec), and Rhodri Jones (calf), who have all returned home injured. Lydiate, a bona fide Wales icon and former British & Irish Lions star, announced his retirement in April and was forced off early in last weekend's loss to the Stormers. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. 'It's sad Dan couldn't get one final run-out,' said head coach Filo Tiatia. 'He's been an outstanding player and a real leader for us." He added: 'He has been awesome for us. He is a player coach and we have looked to get that balance this season. But in the first block we picked up a few injuries and the plan changed. Article continues below 'He played in that first game (with Ospreys) and he was instrumental. Dan has been great to work with. He is working hard with his coaching, and he will move into the programme next season. 'He has been so impactful. When he broke his neck as a young man he came back, he was a persistent young person back then and he still has those same traits.' With several seniors sidelined, the Dragons have brought in younger players like academy forward Owen Conquer. Looking ahead to Saturday's game, Tiatia called for 'one final push' against a formidable Bulls side, currently second in the URC. 'It's a tough place to play, but a great opportunity for our young players to step up,' he added. Sheedy: I've got my love for rugby back Cardiff fly-half Callum Sheedy says he has rediscovered his love for rugby after enjoying a solid first season at the Arms Park. The Wales playmaker, who has won 16 caps for his country, joined his hometown club from Bristol last summer. Sheedy will readily admit that not all parts of his game have been firing on all cylinders, but - as Cardiff bid to make the URC play-offs for the first time - it's clear that he's enjoying himself in the Welsh capital. 'I have loved it," said Sheedy. "It's been a rollercoaster. Plenty of ups some downs. Very passionate crowds so something I have really enjoyed. "It's been everything times 100 what I expected and wanted. I have found my love for rugby back. "The coaches here are amazing and let you go out on the pitch and enjoy yourself and let your make decisions for yourself. I have thoroughly enjoyed it from a personal point of view. 'I feel as if I have hopefully added some value. There are parts of my game which I have been disappointed with. "I am sure there is no secret that my goalkicking has not been great. I get told that quite a lot when I am walking the streets of Cardiff, which is lovely! "That part of my game I have been disappointed with but everything else hopefully I have added a bit of control to games when we have got over the lien a couple of times. "Hopefully I have led the week well and helped some of the young lads. So hopefully I have added a bit.' Boss 'frustrated' over Wales star's absence Gloucester director of rugby George Skivington has voiced his frustration over Wales international Max Llewellyn's continued absence ahead of their Gallagher Premiership fixture against Newcastle Falcons this weekend. Llewellyn, who joined Gloucester from Cardiff last summer, has been sidelined with a groin injury and will miss yet another crucial match in what has been a tough season for the Cherry and Whites. Skivington admitted the club had hoped for a quicker return for the 25-year-old centre. 'It's a bit of a frustration for us, but he won't be available this week either,' said Skivington. 'That's a bit slower than we'd hoped.' The absence of Llewellyn is a blow to Gloucester as they aim to finish the campaign on a high after an inconsistent league season. Whether the Welshman can return for the season finale against Northampton at the end of the month remains to be seen. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free New Women's World Cup trophy unveiled By Ed Elliot, PA A new Women's Rugby World Cup trophy has been unveiled in a "symbolic moment" which marks 100 days until the start of this year's tournament in England. The silverware, which is 38cm tall and weighs 4.5kg, was designed following consultation with former world champions, including ex-England players Katy Daley-Mclean, Sarah Hunter, Rachael Burford and Gill Burns. John Mitchell's Red Roses face the United States in the World Cup opener on August 22 in Sunderland, with Allianz Stadium Twickenham due to host the final on September 27. A record 300,000 tickets had been sold for the tournament before a further wave was released on Wednesday morning. Sally Horrox, World Rugby's chief of women's rugby, said creating a new trophy was initially discussed following the last World Cup, which was hosted and won by six-time champions New Zealand. "This is the biggest global celebration of women's rugby ever so we were looking at different ways to mark that moment," she said at the trophy's unveiling outside Battersea Power Station in London. "One is bringing the final to the Allianz Stadium, another is the record-breaking ticket sales and this (the trophy) is part of that. "This is a symbolic moment that reflects that power, that growth and that momentum (of women's rugby). It's going to be phenomenal." The new Women's Rugby World Cup Trophy on display at Tower Bridge (Image: Getty Images ) The new trophy is set to go on a tour of the eight host cities and towns: Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, London, Manchester, Northampton, Sunderland and York. Crafted from sterling silver and plated with 24-carat gold, it is the third Women's Rugby World Cup trophy. The initial trophy was won by the USA in 1991 and England in 1994 before being found in an attic after going missing for 15 years. Its replacement, which was introduced for the 1998 tournament and was claimed by England in 2014, had been criticised for being small. "That wasn't the driving force behind the change because if you spoke to the players that lifted that trophy - and we did consult them - it had a hugely special place in their hearts," said Horrox. "It really meant a great deal to them but what they also recognised was that this moment now, in 2025, is really a pivot point. A point at which we really start to look forward, to where the game will go, can go, should go." Following their Pool A curtain-raiser against the USA at the Stadium of Light, two-time world champions England, who are six-time runners-up, face Samoa in Northampton on August 30 and Australia in Brighton on September 6. Article continues below Sarah Massey, managing director of Rugby World Cup 2025, said: "We know it's going to be the biggest and best Women's Rugby World Cup that we've ever seen and we now have a prestigious trophy to match it. "Ticket sales have been amazing. We're seeing great ticket sales across the board, in every single venue."
