Sheezel in top Maccabi panel
"I knew I wanted to do it when I was a kid and fortunately I got picked up by North Melbourne a couple of years ago, and I'm just so grateful for the opportunity."
Spirits were raised – and also almost $12,000 for Maccabi Victoria’s Hardship Relief Fund – at the inaugural Maccabi Victoria AFL Grand Final Breakfast event on September 25 at the MCG.
The audience of more than 200 were treated to Jonathan Brown steering a discussion by a star-studded panel featuring Jewish North Melbourne AFL star and former AJAX junior Harry Sheezel, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon, AFL legend Kevin Sheedy and Essendon captain Zach Merrett.
Sheezel, the 2023 AFL Rising Star winner – who will turn 20 in a fortnight – discussed his daily ice bath routine that featured in a recent Herald Sun photo shoot, revealing it is part of his efforts to raise awareness about Motor Neurone Disease – a condition his grandfather, Roy, was diagnosed with a year ago.
On his AFL career, Sheezel said, “I knew I wanted to do it when I was a kid and fortunately I got picked up by North Melbourne a couple of years ago, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity.
“Since then, I’ve just tried to do my best, create good relationships within the club, gain respect and maintain the values that I’ve always had, and it’s worked out for me so far.
“I’m loving life as an AFL footballer and I couldn’t dream of anything else.”
Acknowledging that it has been another difficult season for the Kangaroos in terms of results, Sheezel said the upside is, “We have so many great people at our club, we’re working hard to turn it around and I’ve no doubt that we will soon”.
Dillon brought valuable insights about the game’s future into the conversation, and hinted that Thursday night footy was very likely to continue in the AFL and potentially be introduced into the AFLW.
Sheedy brought his experience and cheeky humour to the table, while Merrett shared valuable leadership tips.
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