An incredible season for our Senior and Reserve QFA sides ended in heart break on Saturday.
The Seniors were defeated by the ladder leaders Burleigh, while the Reserves were pipped by a single point in their match against Carrara.
Both teams fought admirably in 30-plus degree heat but couldn’t quite get the job done.
Seniors
Bond v Burleigh at Burleigh
Bond lost 8.10 (58) 15.9 (99).
Goals: Flynn Ayton 2, Ryan Dienjes 2, Taj Cadle, Mitchell Dell, Kain Ford, Liam Viney
Best Players: Liam Viney, Nicholas Francis, Jack O’Shea, Darcy Dienjes, Grant Trew, Oliver Burrows-Cheng
Where it was lost:
Burleigh started the game very strongly, as expected. We matched them in the beginning and went into half time even. There was real belief coming out after the break, but we struggled to hit the scoreboard. Burleigh added major after major in the last quarter, and we just couldn’t respond. It was a very brave performance but, in the end, we weren’t quite good enough.
The highlight:
The team continued to fight until the very end of the game. The character of the group shone through when no one gave up even well into those final moments. We scrapped and struggled all day and there is great merit in that.
What made you happy:
It’s hard to find a great deal of happiness when you lose a Preliminary Final but the team’s ability to hang on and give themselves a real chance until late into the final quarter did bring the coaches and players some joy.
Bull Sharks Footy:
For 90% of the game, we played exactly how we had trained. Our Bull Sharks footy style held up until we started to lose our legs late in the game. We are proud of the way we represented the club through our brand of footy, maintaining our competitive contests until the very end.
The work to do for next season:
There will be a lot of work to be done ahead of next season. It is time to look at who is staying and who is likely to move on, as well as what we need to make us better for 2025. We were cruelled by injuries to some of our best players, and it definitely contributed to our late fadeouts in games, so we’ll have a look at what we can do differently there.
Trademark Player:
Josh Lanham, who played ruck, battled hard until the final siren. He has played a mix of Seniors and Reserves this year and is a club favourite because of the way he goes about it each week. He was amazing over the weekend with his competitive spirit against a much taller opponent. He won his position and gave our midfielders first look for majority of the game.
With Andy Lovell.
Reserves
Bond played Carrara at Burleigh.
Bond lost 4.8 (32) 5.3 (33)
Goals: Ryan Cook 2, Jack Mitchell, Kane Peeters
Best players: Benjamin Holman, Ned Spiden, Luke Manns, Joshua Clark, Seth Burquest