They say to be the best, you must learn from the best and that is the approach taken by the Bull Sharks’ new head coach Kain Ford.
The former QAFL star arrived at The Canal as a playing assistant coach for the 2024 season with ambitions of furthering his coaching education under the tutelage of senior coach Shaun Hart and Director of AFL Andy Lovell.
Ford, a legend of Surfers Paradise AFC who won the Demons’ best and fairest in 2019, had formed a strong relationship with Lovell when playing under him Queensland representative sides.
Hart, a three-time premiership hero with the Brisbane Lions, stepped up from his role as Coach Education and Culture Development Manager to steer the side in 2024 when former coach Luke Mansbridge stepped away from football.
The 2001 Norm Smith medallist in the Lions’ premiership triumph over Essendon brought a wealth of coaching experience to the role having served as an assistant at the Gold Coast Suns and as Director of Coaching at Port Adelaide.
However, his passion is working one-on-one with individuals to help them develop and he was happy to turn his attention to helping Ford realise his ambitions of being a senior coach.
“It was a fruitful partnership between Shaun and Kain,” Lovell said.
“Harty was invested in Kain and his mentorship really accelerated his development as a young coach.”
Ford was a strong performer for the Bull Sharks in 2024, but at 31-years-of-age his body was telling him it was time to hang up the boots.
And with Hart keen to return to his preferred role behind the scenes, Lovell believed the timing was right for Ford to make the step into the senior coaching role with the team eager to return to the finals in 2025.
“Going into the 2025 we have lot of young talented players and a good mix of senior players with great experience,” said Lovell.
“So, the timing is right. Kain’s got a good energy and has great football IQ, and Harty can return to his sweet spot where he can be a huge support for Kain as well as working on individual development with our players.
“We are excited to have a young coach side-by-side with young players. They will develop together.”
Ford said he shared that excitement and wasn’t about to put a cap on expectations.
“Our group is going to be young and full of talent. When you combine that with some high-quality leaders, anything is possible,” he said.
“Bond Uni has a proud tradition of developing promising athletes, and I’m committed to helping this group reach their potential.”