For Bond’s QAFLW squad, some big wins at home and on the road has the Bull Sharks sharing top rung on the ladder.
Confidence is riding high. But now, off a bye, they confront a genuine season litmus test.
Over three weeks, the Bull Sharks face the only two teams they’ve lost to this year – Coorparoo and Southport.
First, though, there’s a potential banana peel clash away to 7th placed University of Queensland. Bond took the points at home in their Round 6 clash, but UQ are a different beast at home.
Head coach Andy Lovell says his team’s newly developed attacking mindset could make all the difference at the pointy end of the season.
“We've got a really tough three-week block coming up, which is crucial to finishing in the top two and getting the first week of finals off,” Lovell said.
“We’ve been the hardest team to score against in the competition but we’re trying to build an even balance between our offensive and defensive games.
“Our attack has been elite in the last two weeks in terms of our fast free flowing attacking game, overlap handball, and our switch with 45 angle kicks.”
The 2023 Premier has left no stone unturned in their quest to reclaim the flag in September.
An extra focus on strength and conditioning, and access to Bond’s elite facilities has had a significant impact on the team’s overall performance.
“We’ve invested strategically in our strength program, which is headed up by Tahi Reihana, an ex-strength coach for the Geelong Cats VFL side,” Lovell said.
“He’s done remarkable things with the girls’ running ability and we now feel like we're the most capable running side in the comp over four quarters.
“The second layer was having ex-Bond physiotherapy student Zain Ghaznavi come on board for our prehab conditioning and return from injury rehab training.
“Zain and Tahi Reihani have ensured two things - that we’ve been really well conditioned and that we’re relatively injury free.
“We’ve also had access to the high-performance training centre for recovery and strength training, which has been a huge resource for us – a real game changer.”
Lovell says the key to holding the trophy aloft in September is not only adapting to the variation of game style seen in the Bull Sharks’ main rivals but also looking inward.
“With Southport, their ball movement is slick and fast and they have a really high skill level so it’s about being able defend against that,” Lovell said.
“On the other hand, Coorparoo are a really big, strong, inside contested team, so you have to prepare differently for them and we’ve been trying to build our game so that we're able to defend against both.
“In saying that, while it's important to know the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses, the most important thing is focusing on our own game and connection.”
After exiting the competition in semi-finals last year, the Bull Sharks gained some key recruits in the off season.
Lovell says the difference in the group a year on is significant.
“The addition of Tegan Williams from the Casey Demons VFLW side and Beth Pinchin, an ex AFLW player, has been unbelievable for us.
“One’s a key forward and one’s a key defender so they’re key position players but they’ve also added experience and maturity.
“The biggest difference between us this year and last year is that we’re much calmer under pressure.
“We’ve got a really good handle on the game plan.”
The Bull Sharks take on UQ away this Saturday. The Reserves’ opening bounce is at midday. Seniors start at 2pm.