Sheppard made his first grade debut for North Sydney in round 1 1979 against
Cronulla-Sutherland at
North Sydney Oval which ended in a 7–34 loss. Sheppard made a total of 18 appearances for Norths in his debut year as the club finished last on the table and claimed the wooden spoon after winning only 2 games all year. Sheppard finished as North Sydney's top try scorer in 1979. For the following two seasons, Norths finished towards the bottom of the ladder before finishing third in 1982. Sheppard missed out on the entire 1982 season due to injury. Sheppard played with Norths until the end of the 1985 season before retiring. ==References==