YEp Kevin Sheedy the 250 game premiership
Player who was a hard nosed back pocket who with not much skill but a trier who gave his all to play the game a great Eker of all time
Bring back the biff
In that case I think you are re-defining the Eker Ledge, outside of the spirit originally intended by the Ekers founding father Rocco
I dont have a problem with you saying that Sheedys bigger contribution was in coaching, but to suggest he was an Eker is I think a bit of a stretch.
I am not arguing he was a brilliant player, but I dont think it applies to a guy who won a B&F in a super successful era, played as many games as Sheedy did and played in 3 premierships.
Judge Rocco I apply to the court for a ruling your honour?
Ekerism is a broad church. Playing 250 + games doesn't automatically exclude you, although it makes you less of an Eker if that makes sense!
What excludes you is a season where you individually rise above upper average. Dempster making the AA team is an example and Sheedy winning a B&F is another.
Michael Doughty is a classic example of an Eker with a well deserved, long career.
To call Sheedy an Ecker is an insult. He played a lot of his footy as what was then called a ruck-rover and was a huge influence in Richmond's winning teams. Like Barassi, he was not super skilled but made up for that with sheer endeavour and like Barassi he would have been among the first picked every Thursday night.
Good to see my man Matt Spangher get traded from Sydney to Hawthorn - he is surely approaching Eker Hall of Fame territory, landing at his 3rd club after being drafted in 2005 and having played less than 30 games.
Congrats also to Aaron Edwards for landing at his 3rd club today, although he's almost too talented to be a true eker.