When Ned Betts packed his bags for Bond University, he expected to get an education – he just didn’t think it would extend to the football field.
Fresh from Xavier College — where he was coached by Essendon great Jobe Watson — and with a season with the Oakleigh Chargers in the Coates League under his belt, Betts figured he’d already put his best foot forward.
But since joining the QFA ladder leading Bull Sharks under Director of AFL Andy Lovell and coaches Kain Ford, Max Kennedy and Shaun Hart, the Victorian wingman reckons he’s playing the best footy of his life.
“The coaching staff have all got a high level of experience — their feedback is like gold,” Betts said.
“I feel like I’ve already rapidly improved in the five or six weeks I’ve been here. I kicked four goals the other week, and I haven’t done that since junior footy. “
Betts is studying a Diploma of Legal Studies, with plans to transition into a law degree — following in the footsteps of schoolmate and Bull Sharks star Nick Francis, who is on the Riewoldt Family AFL Excellence Scholarship.
When Francis headed to Bond at the end of year 12, Betts opted for a gap year. He spent time in Noosa, where he found the warm weather to his liking.
He returned this year to enrol in science at Monash and to have a kick with the Old Xaverians in the VAFA (Victorian Amateur Football Association).
But it wasn’t for him – and every time he chatted to Francis, and then fellow school mate Miles Enders, who followed Francis to Bond at the start of first semester - the idea of heading back north grew.
“I’m a bit of a sucker for the warm weather,” Betts laughed.
“And Nick just kept telling me how strong the footy program was, and I just had to give it a go.
“It's an awesome side, there is a lot of good footballers there.
“You don’t really expect it in Queensland where AFL isn’t the main sport, but Nick had been talking the program, up in a big way, and he is a gun footballer so his word carried a lot of weight with me.”
Since landing at Bond for second semester, Betts has found his feet quickly — cracking into the senior side where he has quickly become one of the first players picked each week and reuniting with a host of former Xavier teammates. He’s now one of six Bull Sharks who came through the famed Melbourne school, and he credits the Bond coaching staff for creating an environment where leadership is lived, not just talked about.
“There are so many great leaders there, and I feel that it spreads out and everyone gets affected in their own way,” he said.
“I've had a couple average nights at training, and they'll be straight on you.
“They're great in helping me develop and others develop, so and I think that's really important.”
And while it was Francis who first shone a light on the idea of studying law, Betts said the academic support and personal focus at Bond have made the transition smooth.
“I’m probably still not sure what I want to do in life, but law gives me options,” he said.
“I want to open as many doors as I can to employment and success— and I feel like that’s Bond’s point of difference.
“They really educate you here to succeed.”