By Jordan Hughes
Bond University line up against Easts Tigers in the Women’s Premier Rugby Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, striving to bring home the second premiership in the club’s history.
The only Grand Final silverware since the club’s 2014 inception came in 2015 when the men’s second grade side got up.
The Bull Sharks have battled their way through the finals series, winning two consecutive games by just one point.
They defeated Sunnybank 13-12 in week one before beating the GPS Gallopers 22-21 in last week’s preliminary final at The Canal.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Easts Tigers have had a strong season, finishing in third place on the ladder and going on to beat GPS in week one of the finals, earning a week off.
The Bull Sharks played the Tigers twice this season with Easts winning both games in close encounters.
Round 9 came down to the final minutes with Easts winning 33-26. The two sides met again in round 18 – a fiery contest in which the Tigers held on in a 14-5 result.
WHERE WILL IT BE WON
It was another stressful finish for coach Setu Naseri last weekend but he was proud of the way his team competed for the full game.
“It was a tense game but I saw enough within that game to be competitive this weekend. The pleasing thing was we were able to get across the line,” Naseri said.
“GPS had all the momentum heading into the last few minutes but we were able to get a crucial penalty which switched the momentum back in our favour and kept us at the right end of the field to finish the game.”
Both games this season between the two sides have been decided by a margin of less than 10 points, results that the coach isn’t concerned about heading into Sunday.
“I think they are more worried about us then we are of them,” Naseri said.
“I believe we are primed for this game and I think having to play week in, week out over the last few weeks works in our favour as it has given us opportunities to finetune those extra details.”
TEAM NEWS
It has been an incredibly difficult season on the injury front with the Bull Sharks having to contend with big changes week to week.
On a positive note, Bond came out of the GPS encounter healthy with the coaches having close to full availability for selection for Sunday’s decider.
Ava Wereta has been instrumental in recent weeks, leading the team around at flyhalf despite being only 16 and playing her first season of premier rugby union.
“Ava has such a cool head on the field and has been able to get a really good connection between forwards and backs,” Naseri said.
“We will be looking at her to unlock our speedsters out wide this weekend.”
GRAND FINAL DAY INFORMATION
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
11am: Premier women - Bond University v Easts Tigers
1:00pm: Colts one - University of Queensland v Easts Tigers
3:15pm: First grade - Wests Bulldogs v University of Queensland