Eddie McGuire clears air on Kevin Sheedy
Mark Stevens | March 28, 2009
COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire yesterday clarified explosive comments directed at Richmond as pressure mounted on the Tigers.
Amid the fallout from the Tigers' disastrous 83-point loss to Carlton on Thursday night, McGuire said coach Terry Wallace would face enormous scrutiny if the club slipped to a 0-3 record.
"If the Tigers get walloped the next two weeks, the call for Kevin Sheedy to come back to Tigerland will be like an avalanche," McGuire said.
When pressed further, McGuire added: "They play Melbourne in Round 4. What better way to start?"
McGuire, who made the comments in his role as commentator on radio station SEN, said yesterday it had nothing to do with his presidency at the Magpies.
"I said it as a commentator. Not as the president of Collingwood," McGuire said.
"I called the match yesterday. I've done what I've been doing for 30 years - talking about what was going on.
"The story's not what I said, because it was said in the context of sitting next to Grant Thomas, Dermott Brereton, Anthony Hudson and 8000 callers on the radio."
McGuire said he was predicting how the media would react to losses to Geelong and the Western Bulldogs in the next fortnight.
"Put it in context that this is what the media will start doing. This is not me saying that they're going to go after Sheedy or anything else," McGuire said.
"I made it very clear. I have been in the media for years and it's not unusual for coaches to come under absolute scrutiny.
"Particularly at the moment, you can see that the media will start pumping up Sheedy.
"I can tell you what will happen in the media - and that is they will be looking and Kevin Sheedy's the obvious person who is there around the club.
"The jungle drums will be beating and the supporters will all be saying get Sheedy back."
McGuire said it was not unusual to see coaches being "lopped" after Round 2.
He said he would not be calling Richmond president Gary March given the context of his comments.
March did not return calls yesterday and the Tigers bunkered down after the Round 1 thumping. Last month he took a dig at McGuire for talking about other clubs, including the Tigers.
"If it keeps Richmond in the papers, we're happy. I do think it's inappropriate for presidents to keep talking about other clubs," March said.
Wallace is in the final season of a five-year deal to coach the Tigers and was always going to face moments of pressure this season.
March has said Wallace's future will be decided mid-season.
Sheedy spoke to the players at the Tigers' season launch last week, telling them they could win the premiership and had to start believing in the possibility.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25253067-19742,00.html
