Bond bloodied but unbowed

It was a tough weekend for both Bond teams as the repeat rigours of fierce, high-level competition came home to roost. 

How it unfolded

Sapphire

On Saturday, the Tigers started fast and Bond was left to play catch ups all afternoon. Down by 13 at the main break, Bond stuck at it and managed to bridge the gap a little in the latter stages. Still, the Tigers had all the answers and ran out 8 goal winners.  

To their credit, the Bull Sharks quickly moved on from Saturday’s loss and their intensity was excellent the following day against the Gold Coast Titans. 

In front of a vocal home crowd at Carrara befitting of a ‘Clash of the Coast’ local derby, the Bull Sharks went toe-to-toe with the competition favourite all afternoon.  

The teams were separated by just a single goal at the half, and but for a few minor errors and untimely turnovers the Bull Sharks may well have caused a second significant upset in as many weeks. 

In the end it wasn’t to be. 

Despite getting a fright, the Titans bigger bodies and court-wide experience saw them home in a tense, high-quality contest.

What the coach said

Head coach Bec Stower was philosophical after a hard weekend’s work.

“Even though the results were disappointing I am very proud of the girls and t

heir application of our game plans, and their ability to be able to dig deep and keep the margins within range in both games,” she said.

“This season has been about building connections and consistency, and I think we have made great steps forward in these areas. 

“It has also given great exposure to the Sapphire level for a few of our up-and-comers which will hold them in good stead for the remaining games and looking ahead to 2024.”

Ruby 

The Bull Sharks fell 41-66 against Carina Leagues Tigers on Saturday. That result should perhaps be seen in context – the all-conquering Tigers average winning margin this season is just shy of a whopping 23 goals.  

Still, it was a draining day for a young side against tough and physically imposing

 opponent and it may go some way to explaining the Bull Sharks lethargic outing on Sunday.  

Although Bond beat the Gold Coast Titans in their first meeting this year, this time they were no match against a team on a mission to square the season ledger.  

The experienced and strong-bodied Titans led the Bull Sharks from the get-go and ran out comfortable winners.  

What the coach said 

Coach Kim Boland wasn’t resiling from the sting of dual defeats, but she remained realistic.

“They were disappointing results over the weekend for the Ruby team,” she said. “We had two very physical games where we were simply out-muscled on the court.”

“We showed some patches of brilliance in both games however we were very inconsistent and the toughness of the two games really took a toll both mentally and physically on the team.

“Our girls are skilful, but young. This year they are learning how to compete week-in-week-out at an elite level often against women who have been at it for many years.  

“Although the results haven’t come for us in the last three games, the areas that require our attention are obvious. We’ll roll our sleeves up and look to fix those things in the coming sessions.”

Boland was delighted to see the spirit of her united squad shine through at the club’s only true home game of the year at Carrara yesterday. 

“After an extremely hard few weeks of netball including the double header over the weekend I am very proud that all the Ruby girls along with our training partners remained courtside to support our Sapphire girls last night. It highlights the culture we are creating here at Bond.” 

What’s in store 

Bond Bull Sharks will head to the State Netball Centre next Saturday afternoon and look to make amends against University of Sunshine Coast Thunder.