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Herbert Moran (7)
Heeno's speech at Bond prizegiving last night gave a real insight not only on the man, but also the contemporary club rugby environment overall....and especially UQ.
Firstly, he solidly demonstrated that loves the sport of rugby, and sees the team he coaches as only a part of the rugby club. He articulated that the team NEEDS buy-in from the top, and an overall belief and acceptance that he has the better interests of the club, in mind AND that his team is only as good as the support it gets from AND GIVES TO the other grades in the club.
The way he thanked the top-tier individuals within Bond University ( the university, not the rugby club) for being solid and obviously passionate rugby fans and advocates would lead one to believe that he did not have the same level of support and advocacy at UQ (the university, not the rugby club). He seemed to project that support and keen interest from the top university officials was something he was not familiar with.
He also went to great lengths to thank the coaching and management staff from the other grades - including Colts - for their unwavering support for his team in training, development, knowledge and especially their sacrifice in supporting Bond's first grade team.
He thanked everyone of the above for 'turning up' every Tuesday and Thursday, even when it was clear that nothing was working and everyone was unsure - including himself - on what to do next.
What was REALLY telling was how he thanked individuals for their support and advice - and how he loved being among people from all levels of the university who live and breathe the game. He credited his success in being able to bag a premier trophy in two seasons to not just the support, buy-in and advocacy of the university and the club. He also credited the years of commitment by the club to building and developing a substantial stock of uniquely skilled players - from colts through to prems - for him to be able to call on at any time.
It is clear that Heeno was at great pains to distribute credit for Bond's maiden premiership success to others.
Reading between the lines, for me, it is just as clear that at UQ, Heeno was a one-man success legacy-building juggernaut and, when he left, that juggernaut careered off the rails and into a bottomless abyss.
A phenomenal coach, but also a very interesting and uniquely configured man. What happened with him - and with Bond - in 2025 was well-deserved for the coach, and the club.
The same could be said for UQ in 2025.
Footnote: Heeno made a remark that it is quite easy to conquer when everything falls into place. What is much more difficult is to rule once you have conquered. He made it clear that he intends to rule. This initmated that what he and Bond have done in 2025 will have many clubs with big chequebooks upping their budgets in trying to bag mercenary players that can beat Bond in 2026, 2027 and beyond.
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