Young Jewish footballer hit by online antisemitic abuse

HARRY SHEEZEL was a top AFL draft pick. He shrugged off hateful comments to celebrate, reports ASHLEY BROWNE.

Harry Sheezel didn’t have to wait long at all to learn his AFL football future.

North Melbourne called out his name with the third selection overall at Monday night’s AFL National Draft and some time on Tuesday he will report to the club’s Arden Street headquarters to begin life as a professional footballer.

It caps off a meteoric rise for Sheezel, who this time a year ago, was not considered to be a likely first-round selection, let alone of the most exciting young footballers in Australia.

The 18-year-old, who finished the last of his VCE exams at Mount Scopus College just two weeks before, was embraced by his parents, Dean and Lana Sheezel and other family members before receiving his jumper from North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.

It was a moment to savour for Sheezel, who grew up a fanatical Hawthorn supporter during the Hawks golden era between 2008 and 2015 when Clarkson coached the club to four premierships. Like Sheezel, Clarkson is in his first season at North Melbourne.

“Yeah, it feels great,” Sheezel said at his first media conference as a League footballer. “We weren't a hundred percent certain (that he would be joining North Melbourne), but we had a good indication and for it to officially happen is great, so yeah, it's pretty cool.”

But while the lavish affair at Marvel Stadium was a grand celebration for Sheezel and his family, the preceding hours were difficult after he was subjected to a series of vile antisemitic taunts in the comments section of the The Age Facebook page in a link to a feature story about him.

Sheezel called the posts “ignorant and uneducated”, and the newspaper apologised to him and the Jewish community, admitting that the normal moderation process failed because editorial resources were devoted to Victorian state election coverage.

The AFL described the comments as “deplorable and unacceptable” and said it is investigating whether those who made them are club members, which would then allow the League to consider banning them from attending games.

"The AFL is aware of discriminatory commentary online directed towards a draft nominee," it said in a statement.

"To denounce a young man on the eve of realising his dream of being drafted to the AFL is deplorable and unacceptable, and there is no place for this type of behaviour anywhere in our community.

"This morning the AFL contacted the player's management, and the AFL Integrity Department is investigating as to whether those who made comments are genuine social media accounts and if they are club members."

When Sheezel plays his first game for the Kangaroos, which could be as soon as the season opener in the middle of March, he will become the 11^th Jewish League footballer and the first since Ezra Poyas, who played nine games for Richmond between 2000 and 2002.

“I'm trying to be a role model, so I think it's more achievable for young players to make the AFL in the Jewish community. I'm not sure why it hasn't happened in the past, but hopefully I can be an example for these kids in my journey for them to try and copy and hopefully we have more in the league in the near future,” he said.

Mount Scopus College and both the AJAX Senior and Junior clubs released statements within minutes of his selection, with Scopus principal Rabbi James Kennard saying, “Through his own effort, he has combined his training with his school studies. This tremendous achievement is a true testament to his dedication.”

AJAX held a supporters' function at the clubrooms, with more than 100 people watching the draft unfold and it erupted when his name was called.

North Melbourne, which is coming off consecutive bottom-place finishes, has the smallest supporter-base of all the Victorian-based clubs and has only a smattering of Jewish supporters when compared to Carlton and St Kilda.

But it has a rich Jewish heritage all the same. Fellow Scopus alumnus Julian Kirzner played two games for the club in 1997. Dr David Berman was the club president in the mid 1930s, while Dr Harry Unglik was the club doctor for many years and later the AFL’s medical commissioner. He is now a club director. Jona Segal was the physical performance manager and team runner for more than a decade until 2021.

Photo: Harry Sheezel (right) receives his North Melbourne jersey from coach Alastair Clarkson (North Melbourne Football Club)