Jordan Hughes
It wasn’t always pretty but Bond made it four wins from five games with a 31-24 victory over Norths Eagles in round 6 of Queensland Premier Rugby.
How it unfolded
It took just 90 seconds for the Bull Sharks to strike with Bond cutting through North’s right edge with some brilliant passing from Max Dowd and Rhian Stowers before Tyler Campbell finished it off.
The momentum continued when Jake Upfield crashed over from close range thanks to a brilliant short pass from Campbell. The home side hit back with one of their own before the Bull Sharks forwards got rolling through the middle with Hooker Moli Sooaemalelagi collecting another five pointer to lead 26-5 at the break.
Bond made a slow start to the second half with a number of handling errors and poor defence letting the Eagles back into the match.
Jake Upfield’s second try off a successful rolling maul would prove pivotal. Although the Eagles scored back-to-back tries to bridge the gap, the Bull Sharks were able to hold on to win 31-24.
What they said
Outside centre Dan Boardman got through plenty of work in the match and was happy with the win but admits they were far from their best.
“We were good in parts and rather poor in others. We started like a house on fire but couldn’t seem to maintain that throughout the full 80 minutes, which was frustrating,” he said.
The second half in particular was tough for the Bull Sharks, losing the half 19-5 and only recording one try.
“I thought we got really complacent and couldn’t seem to get into our shape. To Norths’ credit they had some good passages of play and we couldn’t capitalise on the opportunities, which made it hard to gain momentum,” Boardman said.
Around the grades
The premier women bounced back in unbelievable fashion decimating Norths 122-0, with fullback Amahi Hala scoring four tries and flanker Jemma Bemrose collecting a hat-trick in the demolition.
Meanwhile second grade made it two on the trot with a comprehensive 36-17 win. Fullback Sami Vereniki caused headaches with every touch and scored two tries while outside centre Ronan Kapi found his confidence in the midfield after his return from a long injury layoff.
What’s next
The Bull Sharks will be on the road again next week as they take on University of Queensland in the inter-varsity clash at St Lucia.
These matches have developed into a huge rivalry between the two university-based clubs.
Full results
Colts two: L 25-14
Third grade: W 39-0
Colts one: W 26-21
Second grade: W 36-17
First grade: W 31-24
Premier women: W 122-0