KEVIN Sheedy was football's first full-time coach, changing the role at Essendon, and in doing so, taking the game into its next era.

The Bombers committee wanted a 'winner' when it appointed Sheedy for the 1981 season. By the mid-1980s, he had established a powerhouse team that played three Grand Finals in succession and won back-to-back premierships in 1984-85.

The full-time position gave Sheedy an opportunity to be more thorough with his preparation. He was one of the first to use video analysis with players. Some even remember him early in his tenure handing them 10-page documents detailing opponents.

His coaching was moulded by that of Tom Hafey, who led Sheedy to three premierships at Richmond.  

"He came out of that school of teaching and obviously had a lot of success under Tommy and his methods and philosophy on how football should be played and trained," said Mark Harvey, whose entire Essendon career (1984-97) was served under Sheedy.

There were some key focuses for Sheedy. Players had to be highly skilled and kick on both feet. They had to be hard and they had to be versatile and play several positions. That, particularly, became a renowned tactic: change happened.

Sheedy struck the balance between tough operator and confidante. Managing people was always one of his strengths. He knew the players, their families, the staff and the board. He knew which assistant coaches should surround him. Part of his magic was keeping the dynamic uncertain.

In the lead-up to the 1984 Grand Final, Sheedy selected his starting 18. But he told the players the interchange positions were still unclear, as he had not made up his mind. On the Thursday night before the game, Sheedy named five players who could fill two bench spots.  

"We all went through that Grand Final parade not really knowing who was going to play. I didn't find out until late on the Friday night that I was in," Harvey said. "Kevin was a coach who always kept you on the edge of your seat."

Sheedy knew how to motivate players. He famously drew smiley faces on the whiteboard at half-time of Essendon's 1993 preliminary final with Adelaide. The Crows were leading by 42 points and he thought they were happy with themselves. Essendon won by 11 points and won the flag the next week, with the 'Baby Bombers' getting over Carlton.

His method that year was to convince his young side it could achieve when nobody else believed.

"He came up with a theme and it was based around speed kills," Harvey said. "He could see that these young players had speed and ability, and he pressed that theme all year."

Harvey got to see a different side of Sheedy's coaching. Harvey played 206 games for the Bombers, mostly as a courageous defender, but had a horror injury run. When on the sidelines, Sheedy would always ring Harvey on his drive home from the club to provide support.  

"He was half a psychologist in that way," Harvey said. "He'd give you compliments about coming back and how important you were to the team. That's when you found out a lot about your coach."

Harvey saw Sheedy from several perspectives. From 1998-2005, Harvey was his assistant, including in 2000, Sheedy's fourth and final premiership.

Sheedy's skill came in "picking off" the opposition in terms of match-ups, maneuvering situations to make them advantageous to his side.

Sheedy's time at Greater Western Sydney has been different, but the competitive streak that drove him through his 27-year stint at Essendon remained. To the end, he was a teacher.

Other things will be part of his coaching legacy, like giving unheralded players second chances, exploiting rules (such as the old 15m penalty and the use of runners) and marketing his club, now a prerequisite for any coach-in-waiting.  

Harvey was senior coach for four full seasons at Fremantle and is a senior assistant at the Brisbane Lions. Sheedy shaped him, and so many others.

"He's given me a great insight into how to play the game, how to think about the game and how to manage people," Harvey said.