F.Y.I.

Mike Sheahan steps down as chief football writer at the Herald Sun

Mike Sheahan will step down down as chief football writer for the Herald Sun  after 18 years. The 64 year-old journo will remain as a contributor to the daily.

The announcement:

Tuesday November 29, 2011

Australia’s most popular AFL writer, Mike Sheahan, has announced he will be stepping down as chief football writer for the Herald Sun after 18 years.

Sheahan, 64, said he cherished his time at Australia’s biggest daily newspaper.

“I have been exceedingly lucky to have spent more than 40 years on Melbourne metropolitan papers covering the game I love,” he said.

The multi-award-winning journalist will maintain a close relationship with the Herald Sun as a contributor to the sports pages next year.

Readers can still look forward to Sheahan’s popular Top 50 AFL player lists next season.

HWT editor-in-chief Phil Gardner said Sheahan was the complete journalist.

“Mike is one of Australia’s greatest sport journalists,” he said.

“He is a rare combination of a great news breaker who can write clearly-understood analysis that is essential reading for everybody in football.”

Sheahan took over from Alf Brown as chief football writer of The Herald in 1979.

He left to work at the AFL as media director in 1985 until 1989 and was at The Sunday Age from 1989-93 before returning to the Herald Sun.

Mike has won 17 AFL media awards, two Melbourne Press Club Quill Awards and has twice been named News Limited’s sports journalist of the year (2006, 2009).

In 2009, the AFL named its media centre at Etihad Stadium after him.

Mike is a life member of the MCC and the AFL Media Association, and former AFL Media Association President and member of the AFL Hall of Fame selection committee.

Source: Herald Sun press release

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