In a highly anticipated 2025 grand final rematch, Bond travels up the M1 to take on Brothers at Crosby Park this Anzac Day.
The Bull Sharks men are seeking atonement after a close loss to GPS, and will be looking to make their presence felt early against the top team in the competition.
In the women’s, Bond will look to continue their blistering form by utilising several returning Reds players.
Colts 1 will see the two unbeaten teams at the top of the table go head-to-head, with both teams thriving under new coaching staff this season.
Premier Grade
Last Round
Bond v GPS – GPS won 25-24
For the first 60 minutes, GPS dominated us physically and gave us a lot of work to do. When we got back into the game, it was too big of a hill to climb and though we lost by the smallest of margins, we shouldn’t have let the game get that far away.
Round 3 – Bull Sharks v Brothers at Brothers
The opposition – They have been the best team in the competition for three years and have won both their games pretty convincingly, so this weekend will be a great opportunity for us to get a good read on where we are really at.
The challenge – Brothers haven’t got a lot of weaknesses so if you don’t bring a solid mindset and execute, they’re going to find you out. We need to bring the right mindset and be really consistent to beat them.
Shuffling the magnets – We’ve got Heremaia Murray and Harrison Usher available to us from the Reds but they can’t train with us this week so we have to see how they fit into the picture.
The focus – This is one of those benchmark games that we need to know where we are really at. If we turn up and give a performance good enough to beat Brothers, then we know we are on the right track and if not, we have some work to do.
Final word – Grand final rematch – it’s going to be tough, but the guys are really keen to atone for their performance last week.
With Mick Heenan
Premier Women
Last round
Bond vs GPS — Bond won 53 -0
It was a history-making day for Bond last Saturday as we had both our first and second grade women playing and both had wins. The girls are feeling really good off the back of that.
Bond v Brothers at Brothers
The opposition – The biggest challenge for Brothers, and for a lot of clubs, is that many rep players have been unavailable, but I’d be expecting them to get a few players back from Reds this week, and hopefully we will too.
The focus – We have been working on building cohesion within the team every week, to make connections that little bit stronger, which will hopefully translate to running well as a collective when we take the field.
Shuffling the magnets – I think we’ll get three or four players back from the Reds this week which will be nice - I know how much they value being able to come back and play for Bond.
Ones to watch – After a great final series last year, Eva Doblo has started really strong for us and been very consistent in every game. She would be the pick of the backs for the early part of the season.
The challenge – To settle quickly into the game. Managing different combinations is the biggest challenge, but we’ve been working on it at training and we’ll be looking to settle quickly and get into our flow.
Final words – Our goal is to come away with the five points, but also to get a really good insight and assessment of our competition.
With Setu Naseri
Colts 1
Last round
Bond vs GPS — Bond won 52-22
We made some changes in and around our spine and the guys stepped up and played really well in those positions, especially around 10 and 15, which was very pleasing. To get a win at home is always nice.
Bond v Brothers at Brothers
The opposition – Brothers are at the top of the table with us and they’re very strong, with a lot of rep players in their program - they look like the team to beat at the minute. They are very structured, with a strong set piece and some threats out wide, so you have to disrupt that if you can.
The focus –We’re going really well at the moment, and if you put too much emphasis on the opposition you can lose your way, so we’ll mainly be looking to add an extra couple of percent to our own performance.
Shuffling the magnets – Callum Simpson may return after playing 1st grade last weekend, and Ryan Wildman did a really good job at 10 from 15, so we will see what happens there. There may be a change in our loose forwards aswell.
Ones to watch – Keanu Rasch, our number eight, is going really well and our captain Blaze Moana is highly influential and doing a great job in leading the team around the park.
The challenge – The battle of the forwards is going to be significant. The backs are strong on both sides, but the key will be trying to get a bit of leverage and get on top of them in the forward space.
Final words – We are excited. It’s going to be a big challenge but we are keen to put in a good performance and get a win away from home.
With Damon Virtue