The Bull Sharks have taken down the previously undefeated Burleigh 10.8 (68) to 7.10 (52) on the Bombers’ home ground.
While Bond’s second place positioning on the QFA ladder remains unchanged, they are one step closer to knocking the Bombers off their throne.
How it unfolded
The match began with a setback when the Bull Sharks’ key defender, Will King, suffered a shoulder dislocation in the first four minutes.
Despite the unfortunate start, Bond’s Matthew Smith kicked the first goal shortly after and the first quarter score sat at 20-3.
Burleigh struggled to find their first goal until halfway through the second quarter, while Bond continued to apply offensive pressure, banking an additional 14 points to their tally and bringing the half time score to 34-18.
Burleigh seemed to regain some momentum in the third quarter but whenever the Bombers hit, the Bull Sharks struck back.
By the end of the third quarter the score stood at 54 to Burleigh’s 27.
Despite the home crowd’s attempts to break Bond’s stride, the Bull Sharks remained focussed during the final quarter.
Due to Will King’s earlier injury, the Bull Sharks had no backline interchanges throughout the game and this began to take a toll on their defenders.
Burleigh managed to score four additional goals during this period, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bull Sharks’ lead.
The final siren closed out the game marking an excellent win for the Bull Sharks.
Standout performers
The Bull Sharks’ defenders put in the hard yards all game long.
Wyatt Bacon, Grant Trew, Liam Viney and Ryan Dengies each played pivotal roles in the team’s success despite the absence of any interchanges.
Jack Tilley and Morgan Ferres in the forward lines and Ollie Burrows-Cheng in the midfield all delivered exceptional performances.
What they said
Head coach Luke Mansbridge praised the team’s commitment and resilience.
“It feels awesome to get the win over Burleigh. The boys were absolutely amazing and they really deserved it,” Mansbridge said.
“We’ve got a bit of a mantra that we’re always going to go to war, and they went to war all day and it was awesome.”
In other games
The Bull Sharks reserves lost against the Bombers, 7.6 (48) to 10.6 (66).
Despite this Bond remains on top of the QFA reserves ladder.
The Bull Sharks women’s teams in the QAFLW both had byes.