Australian Football

After 13 games with Fitzroy in 1904 'Paddy' Shea followed a well-worn path westwards to the West Australian goldfields. He spent the next three seasons playing for Boulder City, carving out a reputation for himself as a cool and canny half forward with excellent goal sense. An early exponent of the 'banana', or 'checkside' punt kick, he was widely regarded as the finest player on the goldfields during his time there.

In 1908, Shea returned to Melbourne where he joined Essendon. He was an important player for the Same Old in 142 games over the next decade, including prominent performances in the 1911-12 Grand Final winning sides. He also spent a brief time back on the goldfields with Railways.

After his retirement as a player he coached Essendon Association for a time.

Brothers Jack, Mark and Tom all played football of league standard.

Author - John Devaney