Every kid dreams of making it to the pinnacle of their sport. Some fall short of that goal, either through injury or simply not being talented enough. However there is a select few who make it to the big time.
Werribee VFL superstar Shaun Mannagh hopes to make that dream a reality. After a breakout season in 2023, Mannagh dares to dream of a long-awaited opportunity at the highest level.
In arguably his best season, the skilful midfielder kicked 40 goals this year and averaged 26 disposals to help Werribee reach the grand final.
Growing up in Albury, Mannagh played all his junior footy for the Lavington Panthers, before going to a range of different clubs with his family.
“I played all my juniors at Lavington Panthers, I came through Auskick all the way through to Under-16's,” he told Scribe Sports.
“I played one year of Under-16's and then went out to Walla Walla Football Club in the Hume Football League with the whole family.
“I went and played a season out there, I was 15 at the time and got exposed to senior footy then, so it was pretty cool.”
After multiple senior opportunities as a teenager, Mannagh had the opportunity to be under the tutelage of former AFL star, Jason Akermanis.
“We went into North Albury, because Jason Akermanis was coach there and then Dad got the [reserves coaching role]. We went in there and played under 'Aker' for two or three years, which was awesome,” he said.
After a two-year stint with the Murray Bushrangers between 2014 and 2015, Mannagh devastatingly went undrafted in his top-age year. At a bit of a crossroads after being overlooked, Mannagh went back home and honed his craft, continuing to play for North Albury.
A major step in his career came ahead of the 2016 season, when he was offered an opportunity to train with Richmond’s VFL side. The chance to train with the Tigers originally came about through a connection between Richmond VFL coach Craig McRae and his former teammate, Akermanis.
“Aker is best mates with Craig McRae, so I went down in the pre-season of 2016, myself, Dom Brew and Lachlan Taylor-Nugent, went down for a week, just to experience it,” Mannagh said.
“It was an amazing experience and I owe a lot to Aker, the following year (2016) we had a pretty good year at North [Albury] and then I was able to come down to Richmond.”
After the 2016 season he was asked to train with Richmond by members of the club’s football department, giving him an opening he had so desperately wanted for years.
“At the end of 2016, Daniel Hull was the football manager at Richmond then. He gave me a call, he goes ‘what are you thinking about next year? Is there potential for you to come down and train with us at Richmond and possibly make the squad?’ I said ‘yeah 100 percent,'” Mannagh said.
“The goal was to move down to Melbourne and play a bit of VFL, so I jumped at that opportunity.”
Mannagh’s life soon became a juggling act, as he went to great lengths to train with the club.
“I remember the first half of pre-season, pre-Christmas, they trained Tuesdays, Thursdays and I would drive down from Albury. I’d leave work at about lunchtime, drive down, train, drive home,” he said.
“It was pretty tough going at the start, but I think after three weeks, I was lucky enough to get offered a contract there and then it obviously got a bit serious. So we finished off the training pre-Christmas and then moved down to Melbourne in January 2017.
“What they had to offer was just too good to pass up, being in that environment. I think specialised coaching was what I needed at that time to progress my footy.”
In his first professional season in 2017, Mannagh played eight games for the Tigers, while spending the other parts of the season playing back home for North Albury. Mannagh told Scribe Sports that he struggled for opportunities and had to make the most of limited chances in a successful team.
“I got to Richmond at a really good and successful time, but at the same time it was tough because there wasn’t many opportunities to play,” he said.
“I think I played five games as 23rd man throughout the year and then was lucky enough to get back in for the finals."
"You’ve really got to make your opportunities count.”
Richmond’s VFL side went on to make the Grand Final in 2017, losing in heartbreaking fashion against Port Melbourne after the siren. Despite losing the game, Mannagh recalls the side being loaded with talent, including many players that are now dominating at AFL level.
“We were a pretty stacked team, Shai Bolton, [Tyson] Stengle, Steve Morris, our team was actually stacked. You look now and how many All-Australian’s have come out of it,” he said.
He continued with the Tigers for the next two years, but knew the writing was on the wall at the conclusion of the 2019 season after being starved of opportunity. The tough times produced a silver lining though, with Mannagh able to win a premiership with his junior club Lavington in front of family and friends.
“2018 was an okay year, I played I think 12 games and a final and then 2019 didn’t play many games. I think I played six for Richmond and then the rest at Lavington,” he said.
“I went back to Lavington and then was lucky enough to play in a flag there. I still think of that as my biggest achievement playing footy so far, that was one of the best days of my life, having friends and family there, I grew up playing for the club.
“To have the opportunity to play in 2019, backs were against the wall, we hadn’t beaten Wangaratta in the three times we’d played them previously. To go down there and win it, it was surreal and at the time, you probably took it for granted but looking back now it’s still one of the most special days that I’ve been a part of.”
With Mannagh’s AFL dream slowly slipping away, he knew he needed a change to further push his case for higher honours.
“At the end of 2019 I wanted the opportunity to play more VFL football, because I knew I could play at the level and potentially above the level. So Werribee was a pretty easy choice since I’ve got a lot of family connections there,” he said.
“My dad played Under-19’s there back in the day and then my grandfather was the property steward for 30 plus years. So I went across to Werribee and that’s where it’s taken off a little bit. They’ve got an amazing environment there.”
Mannagh said the major goal when playing for Werribee was to achieve the ultimate team success, but in the back of his mind he also wanted to showcase his talent to strengthen his AFL chances.
“Obviously always in a team sport you want that team success because when you have team success, the individual’s shine from that and they get their acknowledgements as well,” he said.
"The goal was definitely to win a flag"
“From a personal point of view, I would’ve loved to go there to play as many games to showcase why I should be playing at that level or higher, so it [the AFL aspirations] are definitely a factor in why I went there.”
Following the cancellation of the 2020 season and some of the 2021 season, Mannagh felt his childhood dream of playing AFL was all but gone before a last-ditch effort after the COVID pandemic.
“In 2021 we played eight games which got cut short [due to Covid-19]. I felt like I was building into that season pretty nicely and then 2022 comes around, I was like I am getting a bit older, this could be my last chance,” he said.
“2023 was the year to be like, I’ll give it everything from an individual point of view to see what can happen. You’ve seen in the past like Michael Barlow was drafted as a mature-age [recruit], Michael Gibbons, Lachie Schultz from Williamstown, there’s plenty of examples out there.
“So the dream is still alive, and I’d love to play at that level, try to prove to recruiters and clubs that I am capable. At the moment it’s just see what happens, if they want to [pick me] then I’m ready to go.”
Dating back to 2017, Mannagh has missed out on countless draft opportunities. With over 700 picks being selected in that timeframe, not one has landed on the crafty midfielder-forward. He said that a resilient mindset has helped him to deal with these setbacks.
“Every time you get knocked back or you get spoken to and nothing comes of it, at the time it’s a bit of a kick in the guts. But then you move on pretty quickly because if you start dwelling on that, then it tends to affect your performance and your life,” he said.
Throughout the 2023 season, Mannagh had already drawn the attention of AFL clubs and recruiters, with some eye-catching performances that included a 40-disposal, four-goal effort against a strong Southport outfit and a game against Sandringham which saw him kick seven majors from 25 disposals.
But it was during the VFL Grand Final where Mannagh really put his name up in lights. At an event which attracted many AFL recruiters and club officials, he churned out one of the greatest big-game performances you will ever see, especially in a losing side.
He registered six goals from 27 disposals in a best-on-ground performance, as he desperately tried to keep his side in the contest. Most importantly though, the silky-skilled Mannagh proved he was capable on the biggest stage imaginable.
“Everyone wants to be playing well on the big stage, I pride myself on that and I think I go pretty well in them,” he said.
A strong mentality from Mannagh has helped him push through the heartbreak of being 'passed on' in so many drafts, on a journey where most other players would’ve already given up. He credited his teams’ values for his successful three-year stint at the Bees.
“One of our mantras at Werribee is having a 'next moment' mentality, so I think I’ve embraced that pretty well and I just focus on making the next moment my best,” he said.
“To prove to everyone out there that I should be on a list, and I could play straightaway, just having that mindset of what can I do next to keep improving or get better is important.
“You just don’t know what can happen, so stay in the moment. There’s no point just throwing in the towel if something doesn’t go your way, where’s that going to get you?”
In the wake of Mannagh’s brilliant Grand Final display, Werribee coach Michael Barlow told AFL.com.au that he believes his star player is well and truly good enough to play at the top level.
“If you take a half-forward / mid from an AFL list, put them in a VFL season and they have to play the whole year, maybe five percent of them are having games like Shaun Mannagh has,” Barlow said.
“I’d be willing to say he is in the best 22 of a lot of sides at the moment.
“Disregard the age. [He’s] 26, that’s still a four-to-five-year career to come for someone who’s great culturally, got a great work ethic and is a great person.”
Mannagh showed appreciation towards Barlow, saying he “looked up to him” and has played a major role in getting him to a level where he is pushing for an AFL opportunity.
“He’s played a massive part in my footy journey for the last three years that I’ve been coached under him, even hearing that now, it’s like he’s still got the belief in me and I think that showed in my footy this year,” he said.
“Everyone’s played a role in my footy journey over the last three years specifically but hearing that from Mick means a lot because I looked up to him as well, he was a mature-age recruit and seeing what he did at AFL level.”
It’s been a remarkable journey for Shaun Mannagh.
A testament of his resilience, work ethic and skill, the VFL Team of the Year member has worked tirelessly for the best part of nine years since reaching the Murray Bushrangers side as a teenager.
Come late November he will have his fingers crossed that his dream can finally become a reality.
Interview with Back Pocket Banter Podcast below ⬇️🎙
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