They knew what was coming.
During every break in Saturday’s epic QFA grand final, Bull Sharks coach Kain Ford’s message to his troops was the same – he’d been drilling it into them all season.
“This is what we do boys, we grind teams down. Stick with it, keep grinding away and I promise you, they’ll break.”
The difference this time was it took extratime to crack a desperate Coolangatta outfit who were the reigning premiers.
But Ford’s calm never wavered, his message adjusted for the moment:
“This is what we do boys, we grind teams down. Stick with it, keep grinding away and I promise you, tonight you’ll be premiership players.”
And the Bull Sharks believed him. When the siren sounded with the scores locked at 42 apiece, there was no panic.
No fear of the unknown. Because incredibly, Ford – whose meticulous attention to detail has been the hallmark of an outstanding first year as a coach – had even run his squad through overtime drills at training.
“You can’t script it,” star forward Miles Enders said.
“A couple of weeks ago Fordy actually said, ‘let’s pretend it’s overtime’, so we did the three minutes each way. When it came down to it, our experienced backs just stood up and everyone played their role.”
The Bull Sharks duly held their nerve, slotting two majors in extra-time to seal a 12-point win and a famous premiership.
The only discomfort belonged to Ford himselfwho admitted on stage after the game that he’d been busting for the bathroom since half-time.
Slow starts have been a theme for this young Bond side, and although Enders slotted the opening goal, the reigning premiers looked the better team in the opening quarter.
The Bull Sharks just had to settle into the fight.
For four quarters the contest never eased as the two teams went blow for blow in a gripping, seesawing struggle that had the Broadbeach Oval crowd holding its breath.
The only difference was the space that started to slowly open up as the players tired.
Space the fast and skilful Bull Sharks were able to exploit.
By the time extratime rolled around, the Bull Sharks’ composure and fitness told.
2024 Riewoldt AFL Excellence Scholar Nicholas Francis kicked the first major of extra time. Then when Jack Avage pounced on a loose ball deep inside 50 in the dying moments, and calmly snapped his first goal, the Bond faithful knew the cup was theirs.
It was a win built on the collective but sprinkled with individual brilliance.
Young guns Enders and Jed Kowald led the charge up forward, Enders again stamping himself as one of the most exciting first-year players in the competition.
“I just tried to play to my strengths, take my marks and get us going inside 50,” Enders said. “But it doesn’t happen without the boys. Their delivery was unreal – it was a real team effort today.”
Best-on-ground honours went to ruckman Josh Lanham, who has been a revelation since stepping up from reserves mid-season to cover for injured big man Matt Leskiw.
Even when Leskiw returned, Lanham’s form was so commanding the coaches restructured the game plan to keep him in the side.
Ollie Burrows-Cheng was another standout in midfield, crowned post-match by his coach for footy brilliance.
For Ford, the premiership was beyond even his own expectations.
“It’s really blown me away,” he said. “The boys just keep turning up time after time, I’m so proud of this group. We’ve not only recruited great footballers, we’ve recruited great people. They just want to learn and get better.”
Strength and conditioning coach Matthew Kennedy said the extra-time triumph was the ultimate endorsement of Bond’s work ethic.
“For a grand final to go into extra time is so rare, and to win it in those circumstances is as good as it gets,” Kennedy said.
“This group’s connection has been unbelievable all year, and it really showed in those last few minutes.”
The premiership caps a remarkable season of transition, with more than 30 new faces arriving, many in their first year at Bond.
Among them was midfielder Ned Betts who arrived from Melbourne mid-season after hearing rave reviews about the club from close mates Enders and Francis.
He made an immediate impact and was pivotal in the grand final.
“Everyone chipped in, it was unbelievable,” Betts said.
“We got challenged late but big names stepped up and got the job done and those big names turned the momentum.
“It’s probably been the best culture I’ve played with; it’s been awesome.”
That culture was on full display after the game in the change rooms when the roars of the club song could be heard all the way over at Bond University.
A jubilant group of young and old joined in on the festivities which continued well into the night back at The Canal.