The Broadbeach Senior Australian Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Shaun Hart as the Club's Senior Coach for 2008/09. The Club's Board sees the appointment as a major step forward in continuing our development as a State League Club.
Shuan has been forgiven for his previous association with Southport
and has been appointed to a 2 year contract at Broadbeach. He hopes to develop on and off field success, and in particular provide opportunities to play atsenior level in the journey toward national level participation. While he isnow a committed Cat, he retains a Lions perspective, (we'll soon fix that), and views Broadie in a context of being a part of the community and the game's development in Queensland.
As to his own development in a coaching role, Shaun is looking forward to becoming acquainted with our club, its culture and its people. He is not too familiar with us, but his 15 year career in the AFL and playing under the master Lethal Leigh, gives him confidence to prepare for first time coaching in 2008. Shaun comes across as a genuine bloke with family concerns contributing to his present modest coaching ambitions.
Googling Shaun
Shaun Hart, former star performer with the Brisbane Lions Football Club, is pretty unusual. He was a committed Christian in a footy club; a blokey, aggressive, environment that at times tests his faith. Fellow veteran, Alastair Lynch, testifies to Shaun's success in showing something of Christ to his teammates. "A lot of the guys look up to Harty, just the way he conducts himself in life, and regardless of religious belief, he's an honest type of person," he says. "You can trust him, and if you can trust the bloke you're playing next to, you get an enormous amount of confidence." Though highly competitive, the Lions' wingman tries - in the words of the famous poem - to
`treat those two imposters' triumph and disaster `just the same'.
Despite living and playing in Queensland since 1990, Shaun retains an affection for his home town of Shepparton
in Victoria, where he first started playing football at the age of seven. Growing up as a Richmond supporter, he admits he sometimes felt the irony when he returned there to play as part of an often victorious opposing team.
Shaun was drafted from Shepparton United (Gloulburn Valley
league) to Brisbane
as the number 33 selection in the 1989 National Draft, and he made his AFL debut the following year in Round , March 31st 1990. He initially struggled with the demands of professional football and played a great deal of football in reserve grade. Teammates and commentators have spoken of his dignity and composure when he was sent to the reserves. Ironically, this allowed him to gain a place in the Bears' only premiership side by being eligible to play in
the 1991 reserve grade Grand Final. It was a day the Bears enjoyed a special moment of glory when the Reserves claimed the first AFL premiership flag to travel outside Victoria. It was a Bears side with an average age of 23, with an excellent mix of experienced AFL
players and up-and-coming youngsters, most notably, Shaun Hart, who suffered a foot injury early in the game.
The Brisbane Bears' 1991 Reserves Premiership side was:
- B: Lachlan
Sim, Simon Luhrs, Ben Thomas
- HB: Brenton Phillips, Matthew Kennedy,
Shaun Hart - C: Steve McLuckie, Brad Rowe, Troy Clarke
- HF: Ray Windsor, Peter Curran, Andrew
Taylor - F: Rod Lester-Smith (c), Cameron
O'Brien, David Ogg - R: Alex Ishchenko, David Wearne, Corey
Bell. - I/C: David O'Keeffe, Robert Dickson.
- Coach: Rodney Eade
Extremely gutsy and tenacious, he played most of his early football as a tagger, but as his career progressed, and his confidence improved, he began to assume a more creative role in the team. When the Lions began to emerge as a genuine premiership threat in the late 1990s, Shaun Hart was a key factor in their improvement. He was selected to play for Victoria against the Allies (now there's a football team) and he enjoyed a stellar 2001 season culminating in a best on ground performance - and a Norm Smith Medal - in the grand final win over Essendon. He was also among his side's best players in the 2002 and 2003 premiership victories.
In the 2004 Preliminary Final, with the Lions poised to enter a playoff for a record-equaling fourth consecutive premiership, Hart was unlucky enough to find himself in the path of teammate Daniel Bradshaw on a lead. Bradshaw was unable to avoid a collision and Hart emerged with massive facial injuries. He was immediately taken to hospital, where shocked medical staff commented that his injuries were consistent with being in a car crash at speed without wearing a seat belt. If you decide to take him on, beware the 4 plates in his jaw!
He retired at the end of the 2004 season after playing a total of 273 AFL games (102 as a Bear) and kicking 177 goals (81 as a Bear), nearly all with a left foot that was among the most reliably accurate in the game. To cap it all off there are currently on ebay two signed cards of Shaun Hart at opening bids of $5. Get on fast as his worth increases with Broadbeach's fortunes.
At the recent Sponsors Day, Shaun emphasised his own committment to strong family and a logical extension to organisations with a view to developing people and the Club. He recognises his skill deficciencies and through his "relational personal" approach will be relying on others to bring unique skill sets to the club's development. He is keen on developing our playing group as relentless combatants - on and off the field - to better meet situations and people that confront them on a daily basis. His values are based on Bravery, Excellence, Accountability, Committment and Hardwork. He is impressed to date and is training our senior team to achieve a game plan that takes it on, plays it on, fast, with good execution, accountable defence and tight rebounding. Oh, and he has been allocated number!
Welcome Shaun.
Last Modified on 27/11/2008 10:25