Bonds' Premier men and women teams play away to Norths. Our Premier men will look to consolidate after last week's tight win against Easts, and our women will look to return to the winners' lists after falling just short. Our Colts boys will be looking to find some form.
Premier Men
Last round
Bond Bull Sharks v Easts
26-22 (W)
It was good to see the boys get a result against Easts under pressure. We probably could have iced the game a bit earlier, but to be able to withstand East’s late surge was extremely good.
The opposition
Norths have been the surprise packet of the 2026 season so far, especially for a club that has traditionally not been a powerhouse. They were sitting at the top of the table last week and pushed Brothers very hard on the weekend too. They are a very, very strong opposition.
The challenge
Norths move the ball quickly. In fact, they attack pretty similarly to us – in some ways, it’ll be a bit like playing against ourselves. They do well off unstructured balls, so they’ll feed off our errors if we give them chances. They defend well, too. They’ll definitely be a challenge.
Shuffling the magnets
The big change for us is losing captain Tyler Campbell to an Achilles injury. Heremaia Murray will come into inside centre. Akuila Qoro will also slide into the centres.
Ones to watch
Our club captain, Toby Mayes, will get his first start of the year. That's a great reward for him. He's been chipping away. He had a great pre-season and has been waiting patiently for an opportunity.
The focus
Playing with a little bit more control. Against Brothers, we probably didn’t pass the ball enough, and against Easts, we probably threw too many passes, which led to soft turnovers. We’ll have to find some balance in our game.
The final word
It’s probably going to be our first real wet-weather game of the season, so we’ll have to adapt. Controlling our own possessions would be really important. Norths struggled a bit against Brothers in the set pieces, so we see that as a potential opportunity.
With Mick Heenan
Colts 1
Bull Sharks v Easts
21-39 (L)
Last round
We have had two losses in a row against the best two teams in the comp, so we’ve had to take stock of that and have had a bit of accountability within the group. We are looking to turn that around.
The Opposition
Norths are a bit lower on the ladder than the last two teams we’ve faced, so it’s a good opportunity for us to try and get back on track.
The Challenge
The biggest challenge is ourselves. We were leading on the weekend 21 – 10 and lost 39 to 21 after conceding a bunch of points. We’ve got to worry about ourselves.
Shuffling the magnets
The team will be very similar this weekend.
Ones to watch
Daniel Wells was probably the best for us, and he's been very consistent all year.
The focus
We were so good to get to 21 points, then just switched off so the main challenge will be not switching off.
The final word
It’s going to be wet but if anything, it should suit us. We’ve got a good forward pack in Colts and the scrum has been very dominant so we’ve got to work out how to use our strengths.
-With Sean Hedger
Premier Women
Bull Sharks v Easts
17-19 (L)
Last round
We were a little disappointed last week as we didn’t put our best foot forward, but we are keen to get back out there this weekend.
The Opposition
I'm pretty familiar with North's game. They've struggled a bit in recent seasons, being in the bottom few teams, but this year they're sitting just outside the four and are travelling really well. I think they've won three in a row, so they'll be high on confidence. They're led really well by an ex-Bull Shark in Mel Wilkes, too. She knows how to win.
The Challenge

They've got some big backs. They're also a young, gritty and resilient side. They'll be coming for the full 70 minutes. We'll be in for an arm wrestle for sure. 

Shuffling the magnets
There's a lot to shuffle with up to eight players still away on Queensland Reds duties but this is something we have to adapt to. That'll be the tale of the tape for us for the home and away part of the season. But it's why we exist at the club level - to be able to prepare and develop our players to move on to the next level.
Ones to watch
We're pretty excited to see Tiki Calliste join us. She has just been asked to join the Australia A side to tour Japan. She's been battling a bout of the flu, but we hope she'll be ok.
The focus
It's all about getting back in the fight again and getting those 5 points that we didn't grab last week.
We want to get back in the winner's circle again, get our confidence and energy back up again.
The final word
It's time to get back on track. That's the aim for this weekend. Obviously, the wet conditions probably aren't going to be ideal, but it's going to be the same for everyone. So we've just got to make sure we prepare well mentally and then execute.
-With Setu Naseri