EDITORIAL: Retiring Dom Sheed has his spot in AFL history secured

West Australian

18 hours ago

It's a good problem to have.
But there's a touch of unfairness to the fact that retiring West Coast Eagle Dom Sheed will be remembered by fans primarily for a single kick.
A spectacular one, certainly.
One made with the weight of a premiership on his shoulders.
But one he managed to make look easy, despite the tightness of the angle and the magnitude of the occasion.
Sheed's drop punt from the boundary to secure the 2018 grand final for the Eagles — made with just two minutes left on the clock — is already part of AFL folklore. And Sheed one of the game's legends.
Even if you're not a West Coast fan, you can likely replay the moment in your mind, so ubiquitous has it become.
The cost of being part of such an iconic moment is that it tends to overshadow everything else; the years of hard graft that came before and after.
As Sheed on Tuesday announced his retirement from the club he has represented since he was drafted as an 18-year-old kid from Kalgoorlie in 2013, that kick was at the front of his mind, as it was everyone else's.
It says much about the man's character that he confessed he has mixed feelings about being at the centre of such an iconic moment.
'There's a level of guilt that comes with it,' Sheed said.
'When people talk about that game, they talk about that kick a lot.
'It takes a lot of people to be able to make a grand final, to be able to win one, and I was a beneficiary of what was, in my eyes, one of the greatest grand finals ever.'
In a lot of other West Australians' eyes too. Has there been a single moment of greater sheer delirium in our State?
'It wasn't until after we won the grand final, (seeing) how much joy and happiness you can bring other people,' Sheed said.
'And that was really special for me, to actually bring happiness to others.'
Unfortunately, Sheed's final seasons have been marred by injuries. He has only played 24 games of senior footy since 2022.
'My body hasn't been able to hold up. I felt like, mentally, I probably had more to give, but physically, absolutely not,' he said.
'I worked extremely hard to try and get back. And I've pondered this decision for a while, and it's definitely the right one.'
So the now-30-year-old has called time on a career having spent more than a third of his life at the Eagles.
He'll always be an Eagle, as a premiership player and a club life member.
There can be few more deserving of the honour. He's been there through it all: the very highest of the highs, as well as some of the lower points of the club's history.
As Sheed said on Monday, it's been a hell of a journey.
Throughout his career, he has had two goals.
'I am a pretty simple bloke. I wanted to be someone who trained hard and was a good bloke'.
Job done.