Written in history: Bull Sharks claim QPR premiership

Perseverance, belief and Bond’s midfield heart: How the Bull Sharks Became Premiers

They weren’t supposed to win it. Not with an opposition packed with Wallabies and Reds stars, not with the scoreboard against them and especially not after three yellow cards.

In fact, with a mid-season record of three wins from the first 12 rounds, they weren’t even supposed to be there. 

But that’s the story of the 2025 Bull Sharks – perseverance, belief, and a playing group that simply refused to let go.

On Sunday at Ballymore, Bond wrote one of their great rugby stories with a stirring grand final win over Brothers.

And at the heart of it all were the unheralded heroes – a centre pairing of Tyler Campbell and Dan Boardman who out-played their big-name opponents, a squad that kept believing in themselves even when results said otherwise, and two bench players in Dion Samuela and Hamish Roberts who combined for the match-winning moment.

The Giant-Killers: Campbell and Boardman

When the team sheets landed, the gulf in class seemed stark. Brothers had Wallaby Josh Flook and Queensland Reds flyer Dre Pakeho in their midfield. Bond had Campbell and Boardman – no less committed, but without the glittering representative pedigree.

What they did have was chemistry, resilience and heart.

Campbell played like a man possessed, crashing into tackles, carrying the ball with relentless energy and refusing to let the Bull Sharks’ line crack. By full-time he was the deserved winner of the Tony Shaw Medal for best on ground.

Boardman, meanwhile, turned back the clock.

The former Premier Grade captain had all but walked away last year, content to play third grade with his mates.

Boardman knows all about commitment. His job as the primary carer for C2 ventilated quadriplegic Perry Cross is not the sort you can have a sickie – or block out weekends for sport.

Last year he ran 30km a day for 30 days to commemorate the 30 years since Cross’s injury in a rugby game, and to raise awareness for the Perry Cross Spinal Research Foundation.

Cross is an esteemed figure on the Gold Coast and within the rugby community who has overcome the adversity of his injuries to become a highly sought after motivational speaker, study at Bond University and serve as an advisor to the United Nations General Assembly. 

Boardman did pre-season with the Bull Sharks but was upfront and honest with Mick Heenan from day one. His obligations to Cross, both professionally and as a close friend, meant his calendar was packed over the first half of the season.

If there was a chance Boardman could be regularly available in the back half of the season, Heenan was happy to wait.

And with captain Campbell calling his old mate weekly, reminding him that he was wanted, Boardman’s thoughts never strayed too far away from The Canal.

When the bye rolled around, Heenan received the call he’d been hoping for – Boardman’s weekends were now clear, and he’d be available for most training sessions.

The man who epitomises commitment was ready to commit to footy.  

His first game back against Easts in Round 12 was the Bull Sharks’ last loss as they went on a nine-game winning streak all the way to the premiership.

“He called me and said, ‘I’m all in’,” Heenan revealed.

“It’s not a coincidence that we went on that run once Boardo came back.

“And Tyler has just been immense all year. The energy he brings on and off the field has been inspirational. He would have been my man of the match too.

“They are outstanding players (Flook and Pakeho), but Tyler and Boardo are special characters.

“They have played so much together they are in sync and they get the best out of each other mentally.

“And Tyler really did a great job over the first half of the season staying connected with Boardo and letting him know he was wanted.”

The proof of that came at the presentation ceremony for the Hospital Cup. Campbell called Boardman up to join him and with Cross watching from within the Bull Sharks’ throng on the Ballymore surface, the pair hoisted the cup together.

“It was amazing,” Boardman said.

“I really appreciated it because I have been around here for a little while and I really put my heart and soul into this, and to know that care is reciprocated in that way, it’s pretty special and makes this so much more memorable.”

A season defined by perseverance

Bond’s title run wasn’t built on a flawless season. At Round 12, they had only three wins and Ballymore looked a world away. But rather than splinter, they tightened. Training sharpened. Belief held. And momentum quietly gathered.

A bye weekend feedback session, complete with a comprehensive review of their performances was the trigger. 

“I said to the guys, we really have to start learning these lessons and really quickly because it is going to turn, but it might be too late,” Heenan said.

“We were training really well, and I knew the character of the guys.

“We just had to be more ruthless in the way we played. Fortunately we won against Uni, and then we won against Souths and then all of a sudden we beat Brothers and you think, OK, we’ve got something here.’’

Campbell, who personified that spirit in the Grand Final, said the turnaround came from within.

“We just needed to find our rhythm and also that belief and the want to finish games, and I think we found it,” he said.

“We kept fighting back and I am so proud of the boys.’’

That perseverance was tested to the limit in the decider. The Bull Sharks trailed for long stretches. They lost three players to yellow cards. Brothers looked set to hammer home their advantage. But every time Bond were pushed to the brink, they clawed their way back.

Where other sides might have fractured, Bond grew stronger. Defence tightened, carries became braver, and the belief that had carried them from mid-season despair now carried them to the edge of history.

“We showed a lot of fight. The game could have gotten away from us in the first half,” Heenan said.

“If we conceded any more points, it would have been really tough to come back.

“But we knew at half time, even though Brothers had a lead, we knew we were in the fight, and we knew that if we got ourselves down that end and were patient with the ball, we'd get a result.”

The Bench Heroes: Samuela and Roberts seal the deal

With the clock ticking down and the match in the balance, it was two players who had endured their own seasons of frustration who wrote the final chapter.

Scrumhalf Dion Samuela had missed six weeks with a dislocated shoulder, a cruel blow that cut short his momentum. But in the dying stages of the final he spotted space, darted through and chipped a perfectly weighted kick.

Waiting on the other end was Hamish Roberts. The sharpshooter had been the competition’s leading point-scorer the past two years, but 2025 had been a nightmare, ruined by hamstring injuries. He had barely been on the field 20 seconds when Samuela’s kick bounced his way. Roberts pounced, scored, and in doing so completed Bond’s fairytale.

“It was a great little break from Dion, and Hammer’s the fastest man on the field,” Heenan said.

“I’m thrilled for both of them. Dion had his setback after a really great start and Hamish has just had a wretched run with injuries.

“But sometimes when you stay in the fight, good things happen.”