Jayden Shea kicking goals in dual roles

By Andrew Smith

Not many people can say they are involved in the training of racehorses and top-level footballers on a regular basis.

But for Jayden Shea, juggling the handling of both thoroughbreds and AFL players is just a typical morning.

Shea works as both a stablehand for top trainer Robert Heathcote at Eagle Farm, and as a development coach at the Brisbane Lions.

The 32-year-old is also the Lions’ equipment manager and a runner on match day, delivering the coach’s messages to players across the field.

The dual roles are a dream come true for the Melbourne-born Shea, combining his love of racing and Aussie Rules.

It was the influence of his late grandfather Noel Quigley and a connection to former AFL player and now horse trainer Will Hayes that led to Shea developing a love of racing.

“My late grandfather had a lot of horses that he owned, so the passion was always there to get involved with racing,” Shea said.

“I was working at the Western Bulldogs at the time and Will Hayes was actually on the list as a player, so I used to bust his chops to try and get a job.

“Funnily enough, he ended up giving me a job down there so I worked at the Hayes’ stable for about two years, and absolutely loved it.

“From the day I walked in the gate, I just fell in love with it.”

It was while working for the Hayes stable that Shea met Heathcote, who was campaigning stable star Rothfire in Melbourne during the 2022 Spring Carnival.

When he made the decision to move north to the Brisbane Lions in 2023, Shea reached out to Heathcote to see if the conditioner had any jobs going.

The time spent under the Group 1-winning trainer is already proving to be invaluable for the development of Shea’s racing knowledge.

“I'm still learning and I feel like in racing, there's something new to learn every day,” Shea said.

“Working with Rob, it's been amazing…he's really opened up his doors and really showed me different sides of racing and he's so passionate about his horses.

“Rob is an ex-Tasmanian, and he loves his footy, so he really helps me out as he understands the schedule and just makes it so much easier for me to be able to come into the stable.

“He's given me the opportunity to represent the stable down in Melbourne and Sydney, so I was really grateful for that...I love going out to racing on Wednesdays, because Wednesday is our day off at the footy club, so I like to get out and go and watch our runners.

“I'd always sort of looked at Rothfire from afar, but to be able to work with him up here – I was able to strap him last prep - and see him up close was pretty special.

“He's one of a kind, and just an absolute warrior on the track.”

Shea’s hours at the Eagle Farm base vary from week-to-week, depending on the Lions match schedule, with the stablehand working two to three mornings a week during the season.

On a working day, he arrives around 4am and helps out for a few hours, before heading out to the Lions’ training ground at Springfield.

There, he will be involved in meetings with the club’s coaching staff, before hitting the paddock to take players through training drills in his first year as a part-time development coach.

Shea said there were definitely some similarities when it came to the conditioning of thoroughbreds and elite footballers.

“Rob describes a thoroughbred as an athlete which is an amazing way to look at the thoroughbreds and compare them to an athlete because they are,” Shea said.

"There's times where they're a bit sore, or have a few niggles, and it's just like an AFL player.

“I guess there’s a bit of comparison, but they're definitely amazing athletes these thoroughbreds, and the same with the AFL players."

Shea is also close mates with Lions midfielder and 2024 Star Stradbroke Season Ambassador Josh Dunkley from their time at the Western Bulldogs.

With plenty of hours spent on the road throughout the AFL season, the stablehand has proven to be a popular member of the travelling party when it comes to analysing the form for race day.

“The Lions boys absolutely love the racing and especially with myself working here with Rob, it has some pros and cons…the amount of times I get asked for tips, it's not ideal,” Shea says with a laugh.

“We love to keep an eye on the racing when I'm away, but it does get hard sometimes, and especially when we're on the road for a couple of days, I feel like I'm missing out a bit – I don't like to be away and don't like to miss it.

“My boss (Lions football manager) Danny Daly has been great - he really loves racing as well, but his support to be able to let me come and do what I do here and at the footy club is awesome.”

For now, Shea is content juggling the dual roles but may look to go into hobby training in the future.

It was a dream come true for him to be part of the club for the Lions’ AFL Premiership win over the Sydney Swans at the MCG last year.

A Group 1 win may just be the only thing to top that feeling.

“Grand Final day being the runner, I had to sort of pinch myself there, with a little bit over 100,000 people at the MCG was quite surreal and to see the boys get it done was amazing,” Shea said.

“I guess the premiership’s won now, so I'd like to own a Group 1 winner.

“I know my late grandfather would love hearing that, he obviously had a massive passion for racing.

“I don't know if I've got the time on my hands to do training full-time, but somewhere down the track, maybe if I move out of footy, it might be the go.”

With the Queensland Racing Carnival kicking off next week and the AFL season ramping up, Shea is set to be busier than ever in the months ahead.