by Grace Knight
Coolangatta has been a hoodoo venue for the Bull Sharks since 2020 but they’re hoping to break the losing streak in their QFA Round 6 matchup on Saturday.
Coming off an exceptional win against the Magpies last weekend, the Bond men are hoping to keep the ball rolling as they face the 2022 premiers.
Meanwhile Bond’s women have suffered two consecutive losses and need to regroup in their match-up against Yeronga this weekend.
After dropping to third place on the QAFLW ladder, the women can reclaim second place with a win.
Here’s what you need to know.
Last time they met
Historically, the rivalry between Coolangatta and the Bull Sharks has delivered high quality matches and tight margins.
The Bull Sharks' last meeting with the Blues was in Round 17 of the 2022 season when Bond got the upper hand 65-64.
But the Bull Sharks are still looking to settle the score from Round 1 of the 2022 finals where Coolangatta flipped the narrative to beat Bond 94-73.
Last season the Bull Sharks women met Yeronga in Round 5 where they won 31-17 and backed it up in Round 12, 48-28.
Director of AFL and senior women’s coach Andy Lovell says his team is confident but also recognises Yeronga’s capabilities.
“We’ve just got to concentrate on how we’re going and if we can play like we did in the second half of last weekend’s game we’ll definitely be on the right track,” he said.
Returning faces
The senior women have seen a revolving door of players enter and exit their squad this season due to injuries, suspensions and selections for the Gold Coast Suns Academy.
Key player Courtney Sexton will return from her suspension this weekend and provide an additional layer of strength to the Bull Sharks midfield.
Piper Phelan and Jas Single are also expected to return from the Suns Academy and reinstall some experience into the side.
Senior men’s player Alex Crowe has torn his ACL, making him the third Bull Shark to sustain an ACL injury this season.
Additionally, the men’s team is expected to see some small changes due to player availability.
Despite this, senior men’s captain Wyatt Bacon says the Bull Sharks are confident their reserves squad will step up.
“I think for us the really cool part of our improvement this year is that we’re starting to build a bit more of a strong list rather than just a strong senior team,” Bacon said.
“We’ve got guys that are playing really well in the reserves and pushing us for our spots, so even if we’re losing players we’ve got others ready and eager to come up.”
Where it will be won
The senior men have spent a lot of this season strengthening their contest work and overall structure.
“We’re focussing on getting the fundamentals right in terms of winning the ball and working hard defensively,” Bacon said.
“I think we gained some good confidence in our win last week.
“We’ve seen consistent improvement the last few weeks, so I think everyone’s really excited to keep the ball rolling.”
Match day information
The Canal, Bond University Main Oval
12:00pm Reserves women
2:00pm Senior women
EXIMM Oval, Coolangatta
12:00pm Reserves men
2:00pm Senior men