But I don’t think there’s been anyone in the history of our game and in Australian sport who has ever done more and is genuinely passionate about Indigenous players, their place in the game, the fact we needed more of them, they needed to be nurtured, they needed to be encouraged. He went out of his way to learn more about the culture of Indigenous players … the whole Dreamtime at the G game. That’s one side of it.
“The issue itself, I have to say, it just didn’t happen, it didn’t occur.”
I never, ever heard him say that. Ever. And I was in every meeting, I was hanging on his every word. I never heard him say that to the players categorically, ever.”
Watson conceded Sheedy said some “brutal” things as coach and encouraged his players to “niggle” the opposition.
He also conceded he didn’t hear “everything on the field”, with allegations also levelled at former teammates, but was adamant there was no instruction from Sheedy that is believed to be central to the Krakouers’ claim.
“But in terms of the issuesism and instructing players to go out there and say something racist to get under their skin, I never heard him say that. And he would talk for an hour.
“He’d tell players to be as physical as they possibly could be to the point of brutality. But never, ever did I hear him say something about race as an instruction to players.
“I didn’t hear everything on the field. I heard some shameful things said by other players and to our players on the field.
