There’s no shortage of motivation for the Bull Sharks this weekend against Wests — a club that’s had the better of us in recent meetings.
The Premier Men lost by a single point in Round 1 after a dropped pass in the dying moments cost them the game. The Premier Women were well below their usual standards in last year’s 32–15 loss, while Colts 1 are still chasing a breakthrough win over Wests after falling short again in the wet earlier this season.
Across all grades, the message is the same — Wests have been a thorn in Bond’s side, and this is the weekend to turn that around.
Bull Sharks v Wests
Premier Men
Last time we met
Rd 1, 2025 at Wests.
Bull Sharks lost
Lost 15-14
Our game management let us down in the season opener. We put ourselves in positions to score only to be let down with poor decision making. The game literally slipped through the Bull Sharks’ fingers with a dropped past in the dying stages ruining what looked to be a certain try.
The opposition
They are the form team of the competition. Big and physical, so we know what’s coming. We just have to muscle up.
Shuffling the magnets
Deon Evans-Ao-Leifi got concussed against Norths, so we have to find a replacement for him. And we have some outside backs under injury clouds, and we may be looking for replacements there. Rising Colts star Rocco Gollings might get a chance.
The final word
That was a close loss in the first game of the year, and we certainly had our chance to win it. We can take confidence from that, but we must also understand that we have to be switched on with everything we do. If we make simple errors, Wests will punish us.
With Mick Heenan
Colts 1
Last time we met
Bull Sharks lost 36-29
In defiance of the torrential rain and heavy conditions, the early game was a high scoring affair. Rico Gear’s men had chances to win the game, but like Mick Heenan, he was left to lament missed opportunities.
The opposition
They play a basic game and are very physical up front. We know what’s coming and it is important that we arrive with the same attitude and intensity we brought to last week’s game.
Shuffling the magnets
We might lose Rocco Gollings and Charlie Macauley to the Premier Men, but I am confident we have enough depth to cover those blokes.
The focus.
Wests like to kick the ball a lot so we have been doing a lot more work with our back three. We have been pretty strong in kicking duels so not much will change, but we just have to tidy up our accuracy on the chase. We are doing well at getting players into position on the kick chase, but we have been slipping off that first tackle a bit. So, we have focused on that.
The final word
They are a team who have had the wood on us for a couple of years. They always seem to just pip us. And they will be desperate as well because they dropped a game last week. They will be keen as mustard and they have become a side that we really want to get one over, so it should be a good game.
With Rico Gear
Premier Women
Last time we met
Roud 12, 2024 at SciFleet Stadium
Bull Sharks lost 32-15
It was a poor performance by 2024 standards. Our game on the edge let us down and we conceded too many tries out wide. Our defence just wasn’t up to our previous standards.
The opposition
I think they will be around the top of the table. They have done really well through the Challenge Series and have recruited well. They have clearly worked very hard on their skill set They used to be a bash and crash side but now they are very similar to how we play, and they like to shift the ball out wide.
The challenge
Once upon a time it was just us playing the style of rugby that delivered us so much success, but now there are other teams doing what we used to do. So we have had to look at our gameplan and find ways to change and improve it to stay one step ahead.
Shuffling the magnets
We get Zoe Hanna back and we have a pretty experienced team going out there this weekend. We haven’t shown our hand through the Challenger Series, but I think we’re ready to go.
The focus
We don’t want to give too much away, but we have a plan in place to change the defence a bit which we hope will put them under pressure.
With Lawrence Faifua