It's rare for a team to walk away from a 37-point loss feeling more confident than when they ran onto the field.
But that's exactly where Bond University's QAFLW side finds themselves after taking on ladder leaders Southport, with coach Andy Lovell saying the performance only strengthened the group's belief that they can compete with the competition's best.
In wet and windy conditions at The Canal, Southport scored within the first 20 seconds before ultimately claiming a 0.6 (6) - 6.7 (43) victory. But the Bull Sharks remained in the contest for much of the afternoon, outperforming the competition leaders in several key statistical areas.
"We actually played really well," Lovell said.
"We won contested ball, and we won uncontested ball. We also won marks inside 50, which are really important stats against Southport. We just missed easy goals, and we didn't put scoreboard pressure on when we had the opportunity to."
Lovell said while Southport made the most of its chances, Bond showed it could still go toe-to-toe with them.
"We actually held our own big time for the majority of the game, but they just finished a little bit better than us in front of goal," he said.
"Four of their goals were preventable, so there are plenty of positives to take out of it."
Rather than dwelling on the result, Lovell's message after the game was to focus on what the game proved.
"I just said we can be really positive and hold our heads really high because I felt for the majority of the game we won big periods of it," he said.
"They capitalised at the critical times and were able to put scoreboard pressure on, whereas we weren't. I think we're better prepared for next time, given what we learned from that game."
Lovell said the performance has given the group even more confidence heading into the final rounds of the season.
"I think after the weekend, we've taken a step forward in our belief that we can win," he said.
"It's a mental game, definitely."
While the coaches have always believed the girls have what it takes to win the premiership, Lovell said the focus is now on making sure the players believe it too.
"Me and the coaches absolutely believe we're good enough to win the premiership this year," he said.
"We're just trying to convince the girls that they're good enough. We're doing that through training and reviewing games thoroughly so they can see they're good."
The Bull Sharks now face another challenge against Coorparoo this weekend. A win would put them in second place on the ladder and likely earn Bond another shot at Southport in the first week of finals.
"I'm really confident that we can win," Lovell said.
"I think it could be a very different outcome next time we play them."