The Bond University women have taken out the Brisvegas Rugby 7s and kept their Charlotte Caslick Cup dreams alive with a heart stopping 15-12 victory over the University of Queensland in the final.
However, the men were unable to duplicate their performance from the Gold Coast 7s last week, bowing out in the semi-finals.
How it played out
It was a clean sweep of wins for both the premier men’s and women's teams in a series of strong performances on day one.
For the men Rocco Gollings created opportunities with every touch while captain Freddy Dorrough continued to show his class, playing the full 14 minutes in most matches and causing headaches for the opposition.
But it was the defence of the Bull Sharks which showed real grit keeping all four opposing teams to 12 points or less in their four opening day victories.
The Bond women went three from three and conceded just the one try, with NRLW star Destiny Brill showing her dominance in the 7 a side game.
Mercedez Taulelei-Siala also impressed as she found her way to the tryline on several occasions.
Day two saw the men book their semi-final spot with a convincing 32-0 win over Wests with Rhian Stowers cutting the Bulldogs to pieces with his attacking prowess on full display.
However, the men met their match in the semi-final going down 17-12 against a strong Saunaka side with numerous defensive lapses costing the Bull Sharks.
It was a shaky start for the women who went down to UQ 17-12, but they quickly showed how good they really are in a 32-0 demolition of the Easts Tigers the semi-final with Bull Shark debutant Shalom Sauaso creating try after try with her superb offload ability.
This booked a place in the grand final and the chance to deliver some payback to UQ which is exactly what they did in the hard fought final which featured two scintillating tries to Amahli Hala and a standout performance from youngster Waiaria Ellis.
It was Ellis who delivered the pinpoint pass to winger Miya Faifua who scored the match sealing try in the corner.
What they said:
Teenage sensational Amahi Hala was proud of the resolve in the young group to bounce back after falling short at the Gold Coast 7s.
“We came into this tournament with a pretty new squad compared to last week, we started a bit rusty with those new combinations, but we really picked it up and just jammed together as a group,” she said.
In the very youthful team with a large contingent of girls just 16 and 17 years of age, the Bull Sharks once again silenced the doubters with the win.
“It was awesome, Waiaria Ellis came from NSW, and she may not be the biggest on the field, but she plays with so much heart and really stood out this weekend for us,” Hala said.
The Bull Sharks were particularly happy with the way they were able to bounce back after their earlier defeat by UQ.
“I think in the first game our heads just weren’t in it, but having that second chance we knew how they were going to play and believed in what we could do,” Hala said.
“We really lifted our physicality and exploited their areas of weakness and played for each other, so it was really special to be able to get the win.”
What’s next:
The culmination of the 7s season will conclude at Easts Rugby Club for the state championships and the final of the Charlotte Caslick Cup.
The Bull Sharks women will be primed for a big performance and a chance to take out the Charlotte Caslick Cup for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile the men are looking for redemption after falling short in the final minute of the state championship final in 2022.