“Sometimes you have to tell players what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.”
So said Bond University Bull Sharks Sapphire Head Coach Bec Stower from the lectern Bull Sharks Netball’s Blue and Gold end of season awards night.
And when players listen - and then act - their success is especially sweet.
That’s what made Sapphire defender Maddie Ryan’s Coaches Award a particularly special part of a season that saw Bond’s Sapphire and Ruby netball teams both make finals in the same season for the very first time.
Prior to 2024, Ryan had plied her trade as a Sapphire-level goalkeeper. She was tenacious and tough, but undersized, and she struggled to perform consistently in other defensive posts.
During her 2023 end-of-season review she was told she had to improve, and if she was to return to Bond there’d be no guarantees about where and how often she’d be playing.
Instead of moping or looking for opportunities elsewhere Ryan seized the day and got to work.
She arrived at pre-season fitter, faster and stronger than ever. Her early on-court form gave selectors no choice. Not only did she force her way back into the Bond Sapphire squad, but she did so as starting Goal Defence.
Ryan’s fearlessness, footwork, and stubborn refusal to quit were team-lifting hallmarks all season.
Charli Pearse’s emergence as a first choice WA at Ruby level was similarly notable.
Previously, the Bond Bachelor of Actuarial Science student had played well as a small and crafty Goal Attack but shooting circle opportunities for a sub-6-footer were always going to be hard to come by at more senior levels.
Pearse needed to change things up. She grabbed a permanent shift into the Wing Attack bib with both arms.
She listened, learned, and worked hard, and was rewarded with the Ruby Coaches Award to go with a second-place finish in the Ruby Most Valuable Player count in her debut season with Bond.
Mention too must be made of Mia Stower’s outstanding season at GA for Bond’s Sapphire team.
If she was somehow burdened by the disappointment of her departure from Suncorp Super Netball, you’d never have known.
Her skill, leadership and determination went hand-in-hand with Bond’s climb into the top four, and her unerring shooting accuracy from long range was genuinely thrilling to witness.
No one was surprised to see Stower announced as Sapphire MVP.
Nor would they have been surprised to see defender Harriet Nicholson named MVP for the Ruby squad.
Nicholson, who accepted her prize via a FaceTime call from an overseas holiday, staked her claim as one of the best defenders in the entire Ruby competition with an extraordinary season underpinned by strength, explosiveness, grit, and an uncanny ability to haul in intercepts.
Sasha May-Flegler was presented with the 2024 Bull Shark of the Year Award in recognition of her exemplification of Bull Sharks team values, leadership, sportsmanship skill and positivity.
By any measure Flegler has enjoyed an outstanding 2024.
She was selected as a Queensland Firebirds training partner and a Firebirds Futures player. She earned selection in the Queensland 19U team that won silver medal at this year’s National Championships. Her efforts saw her included in the Australian 19U squad.
Flegler was also the Coaches Award winner for Bond’s 18U squad at the recent State Championships.
All-in-all a terrific year for Bond Bull Sharks Netball, and one that sets the franchise up for an even better 2025.
The full rundown of Bond Bull Sharks Netball award winners follows:
2024 Bull Shark of the Year
Sasha-May Flegler
2024 Bull Shark Spirit Award
Amelia Cotton
2024 Hart Sapphire Series Most Valuable Player
Mia Stower
2024 Hart Ruby Series Most Valuable Player
Harriet Nicholson
2024 Hart Sapphire Series Coaches Award
Maddie Ryan
2024 Hart Ruby Series Coaches Award
Charli Pearse
2024 Hart Sapphire Series Players Player
Sophie Westover
2024 Hart Ruby Series Players Player
Joesi Gisinger
2024 Hart Ruby Series Players Player
Tehya Hyssett
2024 16U State Titles Coaches Award
Olivia Davidson
2024 18U State Titles Coaches Award
Sasha-May Flegler
2024 Elite Premier League Development Pathways Team Most Consistent
Eunice Kidmas
2024 Elite Premier League Development Pathways Team Most Improved
Marli Francis
2024 Elite Premier League Emerging Pathways Team Most Consistent
Hanna Percival
2024 Elite Premier League Emerging Pathways Team Most Improved
Bridie Stewart