If Hollywood scripted the 2025 Queensland Premier Rugby season, it couldn’t top real life.
The Bond University Bull Sharks – a club of self-professed “scrappers” – clawed their way from a 1–4 start to the Grand Final against competition heavyweights Brothers who were chasing their third straight Hospital Cup.
What unfolded at Ballymore was pure cinema – illogical at times, pulsating always – and crowned with moments of extraordinary brilliance.
There were six lead changes in the final 10 minutes. The Bull Sharks overcame three yellow cards.
And when Hamish Roberts scored in the dying stages, even Brothers’ fans admitted the 27–25 result was one of the greatest grand finals of all time.
Even News Corp called on the movie theme with veteran scribe Andrew Dawson labelling it the “great escape” in his match report.
In true Hollywood fashion, the last gasp heroics were carried out by the unsung heroes.
Substitute Hamish Roberts had been on the ground for 20 seconds when he pounced on a clever chip kick from fellow bench player Dion Samuela to score the winning try.
To be fair, Roberts would have won that foot race against most players in the competition. With fresh legs and closing in on 90 minutes in a Grand Final, Brothers didn’t stand a chance.
Beloved Bull Shark team manager Peter Jones had a birds’ eye view of the whirlwind of emotions Roberts must have felt.
“I could see his face sitting there on the bench and he had the look of a man who thought he wasn’t going to get a run,” he said.
“When I tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was up, his face just transformed.
“You knew that he was going to do whatever he could to make his mark, but I don’t think anyone saw that coming.”
While Roberts’ finish provided the enduring image of the game, Samuela, who returned to rugby this year after a stint in league, was the wizard.
The Bull Sharks were down to 14 men for the final 10 minutes after a yellow card to Jordan Lenac.
With the clock winding down they needed someone with the vision and courage to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.
Samuela, normally a fullback, spotted an opening from the scrum base, darted into space and delivered the perfectly placed kick for Roberts to run onto.
His contributions weren’t to end there.
As the clock ticked towards full time, former NRL star David Fusitu’a burst into the clear and only Samuela’s tackle saved a try.
There was a knock-on in the play that followed, and the game was Bond’s.
While the Roberts-Samuela magic show would be the logical choice for the movie trailer, there were heroes all over the park.
The forward pack got the upper hand – especially when they got their maul going.
Captain Tyler Campbell was a deserving winner of the Tony Shaw Medal as best on ground.
His partner in the centres – club stalwart Dan Boardman wasn’t far behind. His defence was a highlight of a tough first half when the Bull Sharks had barely any footy and spent the majority of the time pinned in their own half.
Campbell refuses to be tackled and Boardman is harder to get past than the Beckhams’ bodyguards – they are the definition of the irresistible force and the immovable object.
Can you imagine a back yard game between these two?
Former skipper Boardman’s standing within the club was put beyond doubt when Campbell called him up to the official presentation of the Premiership Cup.
“To come here and lead Bond to their first premiership, the feeling is unreal and even better to do it with someone like Boardo, he’s been at the club for years,” Campbell said.
“When that final whistle rang and they called the knock on, everything just changed. I can’t explain the feeling but I’m looking forward to celebrating.”
There were sub-plots galore. Reds lock Josh Canham was outstanding in what was his first premiership.
Former All Black Aidan Ross won in his first game as a Bull Shark; his only slip-up all day came with the singing of the club song.
And by that stage, with an army of Bull Sharks fans and players from every grade jammed into the huddle – including some of the stars from Saturday’s Founders Cup premiership – the club’s fourth on the trot – the powerful prop’s voice wasn’t really needed.
The girls, who won Saturday’s grand final 32-29 exemplified the spirit of the club. They were all there – most wearing their premiership medals, some still in their playing kit. Except for the handful who donned stifling plastic full-body shark costumes and took their place in the tunnel for the men to run through – day two of pouring sweat into the cause. See the picture gallery here.
And then there’s Mick Heenan – now a seven-time premiership winner and undisputed great of Queensland Rugby.
Not that anyone down the M1 cares about the other six. In his second year at the Bull Sharks, Heenan has created history delivering the first Hospital Cup to the University’s Fabian Fay Clubhouse.
He’s usually unflappable. On Sunday he coached from the Ballymore grandstand – surrounded by friends and foe – many well lubricated by the sponsor’s product.
If he heard them, he gave no sign.
He carried that poker face onto the field for the post game celebrations, but the words that tumbled out revealed what the win meant to him.
“I’m speechless,” he said.
“I actually thought my heart was going to give out when Hamish went over.
“I’d like to say it was a stroke of brilliance to make that substitution, but we had run out of subs by that stage.”