Forde ready after busy off-season

Opting to explore international opportunities in February after working in the NBL since 2013, Forde confirmed his return to Cairns four months later as the Club entered a new era ahead of the upcoming season.

Since the 43-year-old agreed to return to the Far North, the Taipans have worked through one of their biggest off-seasons since the foundation of the club, with NBL champions Jack McVeigh and Marcus Lee joining the roster, alongside former-NBA players Admiral Schofield and Ashton Hagans.

“It was a really robust off-season, and I think a lot of credit obviously goes to Mark [Beecroft] and Troy [Stone], and seeing the all-in mindset was a massive determining factor to go ‘I think I want to be part of that as well’,” explained Forde.

“So, it’s very lucky from a coaching standpoint that we can have the up and down season that we had last year, and then for me to be presented with an opportunity to come back with some upgrades.

“I don’t think there’s too many coaches that can get that opportunity, and I’m fully aware of the burden and expectation that comes from my side of the job to make sure we get the performance and the wins on the court.

“But what they’ve done to get us in this position right now; I’d rather be in it and in the trenches with them than be on the outside looking in and admiring it.”

First announcing his intentions to explore international opportunities at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Forde began his off-season with an appointment as the interim Head Coach of the Australian Gangurrus 3x3 side.

Leading a team filled with (current and former) Taipans, the national side competed in the Champions, Asia and World Cups, winning gold at the continental tournament where Dillon Stith was named MVP.

Whilst Forde remained connected through a new consultation role, the Club began an international search for their new leader, with credentialled coaches from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States interviewing for the top job.

Remaining in conversation about returning, Forde ultimately decided in June to continue calling Far North Queensland home for the foreseeable future.

“Our skip bin was collected the day that we decided that we wanted to stay in Cairns. My wife has been very patient with me and now she’s refurnishing the house and getting everything back in order.

“There were a lot of moving parts this off-season and a lot of things went on behind the scenes, and this is where now I think the result of what we have in our lineup, the majority of the credit goes to Mark, Troy and the Board.”

Despite not recruiting a new Head Coach from their international search, the newfound connections built across the process have made the venture worthwhile, giving the Club access to an entirely new talent pool. 

“One of the things that has come out of the process while we’ve been interviewing coaches from Japan, from America and everything else, we’ve built some fantastic relationships that we didn’t have before,” said Taipans Board member Adam Gowlett at the Taipans Town Hall held in June.

“So, when you’re talking about players, and when coaches are talking about players, we’ve got some ins to players that we would have never had a chance to look at, by going through the process.”

“So, I understand that while it’s slow, it has actually been 100% worthwhile. It’s probably been one of the best things we’ve done.”

With his lineup confirmed, Forde’s focus now turns to the upcoming season.

“You sort of have to reset your focus and start talking about the building blocks, and it’s a day-to-day process. You stack days, and you don’t try to win a championship in August, but it’s about laying the foundations.

“We’ve had guys filtering through this week. We’ve had guys in since last week, with more guys to come next week. So, it’s just a matter of getting everyone on the floor and getting everybody on the same page.”

With one preseason game in the books, the Taipans will play another game in Melbourne before they return home for Cairns’ first pre-season fixture since 2021 when they host Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

The following week the squad will fly into Canberra for the 2025 NBL Blitz, before they build up to the start of their campaign on Saturday 20 September against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Taipans 2025-26 season memberships are still available ahead of the upcoming season – grab them HERE!