Kevin Sheedy: Why ‘isolated’ AFL coaches need more support

Coaching legend Kevin Sheedy has heaped criticism on the treatment of Dean Bailey following the Melbourne tanking saga. While we will never know the true impact of his suspension, it wouldn’t have helped his health situation, writes Sheedy.

Kevin Sheedy coached the Bombers to four premierships.

Everyone in the community feels isolated at the moment, but that's the way AFL coaches feel most of the time.

Sure, the circumstances now are very different.

But having been a coach for 27 seasons at one club and for two seasons at another, it can be one of the loneliest jobs in the country.

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Kevin Sheedy coached the Bombers to four premierships.

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Coaching is an enormously stressful job because we're led to believe the only measurement for success is winning a premiership.

If you use that evaluation, there's been a lot of unsuccessful coaches over the years.

Ross Lyon challenged that assessment recently.

He was mates with Paul Roos at Fitzroy.

It is cruel that one of them is celebrated for winning a premiership by less than a kick, while the other is judged for having not win a flag, despite going to four Grand Finals for a draw and three losses.

So where does the stress associated with coaching come from?

Is it a failure to win a premiership? Is the searing glare of the media? Is it the fact we all know we are almost certain to be sacked one day?

Or is it the fact you put so much into others that you stop looking after yourself?

Dean Laidley is the latest former AFL coach to have his struggles laid bare.

Dean Laidley is the latest in a long line of coaches in recent times to have suffered serious life challenges.

We've lost too many men in very difficult and different circumstances that we need to say that we aren't prepared to lose any more.

Losing Danny Frawley and Dean Bailey hit home with me.

Danny was the most beautiful fun loving guy. He was my assistant when I was coaching against Ireland in the international rules.

But the strain of his coaching experiences clearly took a toll.

What happened to Dean was an absolute disgrace.

We will never know what impact the suspension he copped from the AFL during the tanking saga had on his health, but I can tell you the strain wouldn't have helped the situation.

I went to visit his wife a few years ago because I wanted to know the whole damn story.

All the things Dean was supposed to have done, I did in 1993 and accidentally won a premiership.

Kevin Sheedy hasn’t minced his words about the treatment of former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey.

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I tried guys in different positions, put a schoolkid called Dustin Fletcher at full back, and pinned my faith in the kids and it paid off.

I've looked on with sadness at other guys I've coached deal with their lives post-coaching.

James Hird had only started going down the coaching pathway when in comes a guy called Stephen Dank.

He paid a very high price but thankfully seems to be coming out the other side.

Bomber Thompson has had some serious challenges.

The kid from backblocks of West Essendon was tough, resilient and started his own business at 21.

It's hard to reconcile what has happened with him since he left the game.

Mark Harvey was treated appallingly by Fremantle when he was sacked, and has had to deal with that ever since.

Kevin Sheedy survived as a coach for almost three decades.

I was lucky.

I got nine three-year contracts at Essendon and I wasn't sacked for 27 years.

I had to deal with players as diverse as Paul Vander Haar, James Hird and Michael Long. They might as well have come from different planets.

That’s a real challenge for coaches, dealing with an assortment of personalities and characters.

We didn't talk about mental health issues in my day. My way of dealing with stress was watching Paul Hogan and Strop.

I tried to never let footy impact too heavily on my family, but I'm sure it did at times.

I never got to sleep most nights until about 2am most nights. Then I’d bounce out of bed by 7am the next day.

I'm sure my family suffered at times because I wasn't home as much as other dads.

I loved coaching, but I’m a much happier person these days. I've certainly been a much better husband and father since giving it away.