You may have heard tales of his prowess on the field in Tiger stripes, or you might know him as the man behind premiership-winning Essendon sides.

Either way, you’re not going to want to miss Kevin Sheedy when he visits the district this week.

“I get the chance, every now and then, to go to the country,” Sheedy said.

And a ‘chance’ it is, for the AFL legend has many fond memories of the Cobram-Barooga area, mostly thanks to the vision of his parents and grandparents.

“Barooga, Cobram and Yarrawonga is an area that is very close to me and my family because my grandfather left Ireland to go and live in that district,” Sheedy said.

Now back on his feet after a stint in hospital, Sheedy, 77, fondly recalled family road trips to the area as a young kid.

“That area — Barooga — was like God’s gift of freedom after living in a city like Melbourne as a kid,” he said.

“That’s why I’m very closely connected to a lot of country towns. That’s why I created the Country Farmers’ Game, (in) which (Essendon) will come up against Geelong this year. That will be a big game for me.”

After having featured as guest speaker at events from Brunswick to Soden’s Hotel in Albury, Sheedy will visit Barooga on Thursday, May 22.

A Night with Kevin Sheedy will be hosted by Barooga Sporties, in a not-to-be missed event emceed by The Footy Feast panel.

Everyone, whether a budding footballer or not, is welcome to come along to hear the living legend elaborate on his connections to Cobram-Barooga, his glittering AFL career and much else besides.

On and off the field, the four-time premiership-winning coach has advanced the game to leave it better off than when he found it.

That includes driving the creation of the annual Essendon-Richmond Dreamtime match and the Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon.

Sheedy’s giant stature in Aussie rules underscores his unflagging drive and optimism — along with a sense of his own mortality, which was brought home by time in hospital earlier this year.

“I’m looking forward to being alive again, to be honest. I collapsed and was out for about two or three hours,” he said.

Out of medical care and having stepped down from the Essendon FC board, Sheedy feels like he has a new lease on life.

“What I found with the board was it actually stopped me from doing the things I wanted to do, and what I wanted to talk about,” Sheedy said.

“So I found it actually easier not to be on the board — to do what I’m doing this year without having to go to board meetings all the time, and promoting the game in a different facet.”

In that vein, he had useful advice to budding footballers and athletes more broadly.

“I might have talent, I might have lacked speed, I might have lacked in certain categories in the game — even as a coach, I might have lacked in certain categories. But I still have the attitude that let me change any negative into a positive,” he said.

“I’m a very strong, powerful believer in, if in your best dreams you want to make it happen, then plan how you’re going to do it. That’s one thing I could do. Plan your success.

“I actually read my whole footballing, coaching career as if it was the Olympic Games, and I was going to win gold every four years.”

The evening’s entertainment kicks off at 8pm, and tickets are $50 per person.

Under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.

Find tickets and more information at tinyurl.com/tdxd2vt9

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