Bond University may be the underdog heading into Saturday’s QAFLW grand final, but coach Andy Lovell still believes his side has every reason to believe it can complete one of the most significant chapters in the club’s recent history.
The Bull Sharks face a Southport side that has lost just twice this season, but Lovell insists Bond’s players are approaching the decider with confidence rather than expectation.
“Southport have earned the right to be the favourite,” Lovell said.
“All eyes are on them.
“It takes a lot of the pressure off us in terms of the external expectation.
“Still, our internal expectation is that we want to win it.
“We think we can.”
Confidence has been building throughout a season in which Bond has been developing a relatively young and inexperienced playing group.
The Bull Sharks underwent a dramatic transformation at the end of 2024 when they turned over 24 players, before another 21 departed the program the following year.
“It comes with being a successful development club,” he said.
“But we’re learning to adapt.
“We’ve been building our game plan and our style of play all year.”
The process has required patience, with Bond gradually developing the structures and methods it hopes will underpin the program for years to come.
The coach believes the pieces have finally begun to come together.
It was only in the past month that Bond has started fielding its strongest available combination.
Aleria Usher, Bella Iverach, Annabelle Lynch and Chloe Smith remain sidelined but everyone else is fighting fit and Lovell believes the Bull Sharks are now as close to full strength as they can reasonably expect to be.
The timing could hardly be better.
Last weekend’s preliminary final victory over Coorparoo provided the strongest evidence yet that Bond’s long-term development is beginning to translate into consistent performance.
The win was significant not only because it secured a grand final berth, but because of the way the Bull Sharks achieved it.
Coorparoo had represented a persistent obstacle for the Bond, defeating them three times – including twice during the current season – and ending their finals campaign last year.
But this time, Bond turned the tables with an emphatic 48-point win.
It was team’s best performance of the season.
“As far as the combination of execution of game plan, physicality in the contest against probably the most physical and aggressive team in the comp in Coorparoo it was our best effort,” he said.
It also represented an important psychological breakthrough.
“We were able to overcome those mental demons that we once had against Coorparoo,” he said.
While the build-up to a premiership decider is inevitably different, he believes the football itself remains fundamentally unchanged.
“Once the game starts, I feel like the first five or six minutes in grand finals are always really hectic.
“The team that settles first and settles best usually get a good outcome.
“But the fundamentals of the game are exactly the same.”
Lovell’s message is simple: concentrate on the next contest, the next decision and the execution of the game plan, rather than the significance of what might happen at the final siren.
“We try to pull our girls out of that headspace and just into the now,” he said.
“We know what we need to execute. Let’s leave the outcome until the end.”
Southport presents a formidable challenge.
The Sharks have been one of the competition’s benchmark teams and have lost only twice - to Morningside and Coorparoo.
Interestingly, Bond has now beaten both.
Lovell, however, is not placing too much weight on that piece of history.
Instead, Bond will concentrate on its own strengths.
“We know that their shape and structure is really good and they score off turnover and they counter-attack on you.
“So, we’re aware of what we need to do.
“But we’re not going to focus really heavily on them individually, just one or two really key points, key indicators.
“We know what we need to execute to beat them.”
Bond’s greatest weapon is that it is no longer reliant on one or two players to determine the outcome of a game.
“Our greatest strength is our evenness across the ground,” Lovell said.
“We’ve got really strong depth on the interchange bench.”
The midfield is a particularly strong example.
Bond has been able to rotate Skye White, Jas Davidson, Evy Reeves and Shannon Nolan through its starting combination before bringing Riewoldt Family AFL Excellence Scholar, Kiera Zerafa, and Annabelle Foat into the contest.
“Our midfield depth is really strong,” Lovell said.
“That’s where I think that’s where the game’s going to be won and lost, in and around contest and clearance.”
Zerafa will provide an intriguing subplot to the grand final given she will line up against her former club.
Lovell has no doubt the young midfielder will embrace the occasion.
“I don’t reckon she’d be phased about anything at all,” he said.
“She’s 20 years of age going on 28. She’s so mature. Such a professional.
“She’s also pretty feisty.
“I wouldn’t want to be playing against her!
“But she’s great. We’re just so lucky to have her as part of the Bull Sharks.”
The Bond camp will also need to consider the playing conditions.
The grand final will be played Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield, a ground built to the same expansive dimensions as the MCG.
And with an early summer temperature in the mid-30s forecast and the possibility of hot afternoon breeze, it’s going to be a test.
Lovell has no concerns about his group’s ability to cope.
Bond’s conditioning program - overseen by Tahi Reihana - has been designed specifically to prepare the players for the demands of playing finals football.
“Tahi’s been excellent all year,” Lovell said.
“He’s got the girls in the sweet spot, I reckon.
“They’ve done a hell of a lot of work.
“All of our conditioning all year has been to prepare them to play on the big stage in September.
“They’re as ready as they’ll ever be physically.”
The playing surface will also be significantly different from some of those Bond has encountered during the season.
Having endured uneven, heavily grassed and sometimes seriously boggy ground conditions throughout the season, Brighton Homes Arena will seem like Wimbledon’s centre court.
Lovell believes the firm, fast surface underfoot could favour Bond.
“It’s an incredible surface to play on.
“It’s fast and the ball definitely bounces.
“If we can get outside where we can run and spread and use the footy, I think the conditions and the playing surface will be our friend.”
Lovell is encouraging the wider Bull Sharks community to make the trip to Springfield and create a strong Bond presence around the ground.
“It’s an amazing venue for football,” he said.
“It’s going to be a brilliant day.
“This has really been two years in the making.
“And I feel like this is big for us.
“If we can pull this off, it’ll be wonderful for the footy club.”