Sharks secure their coaching Dream Team for 2023

The Beaumaris Football Club would like to announce the appointment of Josh Bourke to the position of Senior Men’s Head Coach.

In this role Josh will be joined by Mick Lovejoy and Nick Moodie as his assistant coaches.

Most recently, Josh was St Kevins Head Coach in the APS last year. He has been Head Coach at the Sandringham Dragons, a Senior Assistant Coach at the BFC and in 2010 was Head Coach of the BFC U19s, which won the VAFA premiership. Josh comes to the role with a strong understanding of the important junior to senior transition. He is also currently completing his Masters in Education.

Mick Lovejoy is a former BFC Seniors Head Coach, Reserves Coach and U19 Coach. He was also Head Coach of Old Melburnians. For the last 11 years Mick has been the Sandy Dragons Senior Assistant Coach.

Nick Moodie has extensive local football experience and recently was Coach of the Dragons Futures Program and has outstanding credentials to assist our BFC Junior pathways program.

Football Operations Director Nick Heath welcomed the return of Josh to the club, with the added bonus of having Mick Lovejoy and Nick Moodie join him as his assistants. “This is a tremendous appointment for the Club. Josh is a highly accredited and respected coach and the BFC is delighted to have Josh return to the Club as Senior Head Coach. Josh has an acute understanding of the importance of player retention and the smooth transition of Junior footy to Senior footy. He brings with him two highly esteemed men in the world of coaching, Mick Lovejoy and Nick Moodie. This heralds an exciting new era for the Beaumaris Football Club.”

Retiring Club President, Terry Lucas, is currently overseas but had this to say, ” I want to personally welcome Josh and Mick back to the club and Nick Moodie to the club. I have every confidence they will build on the great foundation laid by Bluey McKenna and the previous coaching group over the last 5 years. The club is in a strong position on and off the field and I look forward to what the new coaches and committee will bring as we move forward to 2023 and beyond. It’s an exciting time to be a Beaumaris Shark”.

In accepting the role Josh issued the following statement.

“I am extremely excited to be returning to the BFC, the club that largely gave me my start in footy as a coach. I am keen to build a club that can be sustainably competitive in ‘A Grade’, whilst importantly, having supporting teams for players of all abilities, particularly players flowing from the strong BFC Junior program. It’s also very special for me to be returning to the BFC with my Sandringham Dragons coaching team of Mick Lovejoy and Nick Moodie, men of outstanding quality and football pedigree. They are highly respected coaches and it’s quite a coup to have such accomplished and highly qualified assistant coaches join me. I look forward to an exciting new era with the Sharks.

In further additions to the Sharks coaching line-up, Stephen “Milney” Milne will be making a return to the Beaumaris Football Club as the Senior Men’s team forwards coach in season 2023.

Milney had an extraordinary playing career that spanned 275 games in the AFL for St Kilda. In that time, he kicked 574 goals to make him one of the most destructive small forwards to ever play the game. He topped St Kilda’s goal kicking on 4 occasions, even with Nick Riewoldt in the side. He was an All-Australian in 2011 and 2012.

In 2014 and 2015, Milney played for Strathfieldsaye in the Bendigo Football League; in 2014, he was the League’s leading goal kicker with 101 goals, won the club’s best and fairest award and was part of that club’s back-to-back premierships in 2014 and 2015.

In 2016, Milney started with the BFC and his impact was immediate. He played a pivotal role in our Seniors premiership that year and was the club’s leading scorer in both 2016 (53) and 2017 (39). In total, Milney played 42 high quality games for the Beaumaris Football Club.

In 2017 Stephen was rewarded with VAFA state selection.

Football Operations Director Nick Heath welcomed the return of Steve to the club. “This is another significant appointment for the Club on top of our new Senior coaching group of Josh Bourke, Mick Lovejoy and Nick Moodie. Steve is a unique football talent and will bring his own special flair to the assistant coaching role. The BFC is delighted to have Steve return to the Club to put his stamp on the exciting new era ahead for the Beaumaris Football Club.”

Club President, Terry Lucas, had this to say, “I’m delighted to welcome Milney back to the club. We have always had a close relationship. His enthusiasm and love for the club is something I’ve personally missed so I’m thrilled to see him back at Shark Park. There is no doubt about the impact Milney had around the Club when he was playing. He was embraced by the Seniors, Juniors and supporters and he quickly immersed himself into the BFC culture. We forget how good a footballer he was. He will have a great impact on our senior and junior groups, especially our forwards”.