There’s no shortage of firepower in Bond’s Sapphire and Ruby netball squads — and it’s not just the rising stars who are setting the tone. Former SSN talent Mia Stower’s round one performance was a statement — and a reminder that class doesn’t fade.
Current SSN Reserves players — Jayden Molo, Kaylin van Greunen, Sasha-May Flegler, Kirra Tappenden and Sophie Westover — are raising the bar in training and on game day.
But the real buzz is around a new wave of teen talents led by 17-year-old Mahlia Henare who this week will debut in the Sapphire squad.
With the club expanding across every level from cubs to the Sapphire and M Leagues, and the same coaches returning for a third season, there’s a real sense of purpose and continuity at The Canal.
In her half year report, Head of Netball Kim Boland says the challenge is clear: cut the errors, back the brand, and make every week count.
The Standouts
Our five SSN Reserves players, Jayden Molo, Kaylin van Greunen, Sasha-May Flegler, Kirra Tappenden and Sophie Westover are playing at a very high standard and are bringing that experience from the elite level which is benefitting our whole group.
But I think Mia Stower is the one. She is a former SSN player, so we know what she is capable of, but it has been incredible to see how important it is to her to maintain the same level of effort and commitment in Premier Netball. In round 1 she sunk 15 shot super from 16 attempts. That is incredible accuracy, and she is clearly one of the most potent offensive players in the competition.
In Ruby, we have quite a few standouts. Mahlia Henare is very exciting, is as fit as a fiddle and works really hard. She’s young, only 17, is new to Bond this year, and has been a real gem. And our vice-captain Harriet Nicholson has been very important too. If you don't have that solid keeper down the end, you can't win ball and she's certainly done a lot of that.
The Big Improvers
She was already a very good player which is why she was picked up by the Firebirds for the SSN Reserves, but Jayden Molo seems to have found another gear. There have been two rounds in the Sapphire Series, and she’s been MVP twice.
In Ruby, I can’t go past Elka Macaulay. She has moved from shooter to a midcourt position this year and at the start it was a bit sketchy. But she's really coming to her own and she won MVP this week. That was really good for her, and the move has been important for the team.
The Surprise Packet
Mahlia Henare, I certainly wasn’t expecting what I'm getting out of her so early in her Ruby career. We are about to go into round eight, she’s had a couple of MVPs already and is among the best players every week. She is one of those kids that just doesn't stop. She's netball captain at her school and is busy with year 12 studies and the way she is juggling all that with her step up to Ruby has been impressive. She recently played five days of schoolgirls representative netball, where she made the Queensland State side, and then backed up for us the next day.
And that sort of thing isn’t a once off. This week she will play for our Ruby side on Saturday and then back up for her Sapphire Series debut with Rebecca Stower on Sunday before heading off to another school-girl carnival. And barring injury, she’ll be back for us next weekend.
The People's Champ
Sophie Westover. She's a really good girl and we are lucky to have her. She's taken on the captaincy role, and it has been a struggle. Throughout the pre-season and early rounds she was torn between the Sunshine Coast Lightning and us, so she’s only been once a week at our training. But she has worked really hard to stay connected with the girls outside of training. And when she is here, she leads by example with everything she does. She trains hard and has a great vibe about her.
The moment to remember
Gosh, there's so many moments. I think it would have to be the launch of our M League team and then wining our first game. We're only one of five franchises that are actually participating, which we are very proud of, and we are determined to be an avenue for Gold Coasters to advance their careers, so we have made a conscious effort to fill our playing roster with locals. And our assistant Sapphire coach Gavin Clarke is the head coach, so we have kept it all in house.
What's clicking
I think there’s two things – the growth of our club and the stability that we really value. This is our third year with the same coaches across our programs which is something we are proud of, and I think is quite unique in the competitions we compete in. And we have never been a bigger club than we are at the moment. When you think about our cubs programs, then our pathways programs, through to the Ruby, M Leage and Sapphire Series, the Bull Sharks are providing opportunity for a lot of people to enjoy their netball and develop their skills.
A special shout out
We've got two. Toni Gisinger and Jennifer Macauley – our Ruby and Sapphire managers both go above and beyond. They are mums who have daughters playing for us who volunteer a lot of their time and honestly, we couldn’t run the club without them. And they just love it, they have even become our managers at state titles and have continued after their daughters aged out of those tournaments.
The focus
It has been a real focus to stay to our brand which is a real clean netball. We are coming up against some really physical teams, and we don’t want to get drawn into that. We want to be seen as a team that is a very clean and very clinical. We play fast, we play with intent, but we're clean and clinical.
Culture as a constant
We've put a real shift to our culture this year. We have Be Bold Be Bond which is our overarching program motto. But under that we've really worked on the foundations that hold that up. We have pillars and each week at training we really home in on those pillars and try to manipulate our training around them. They are Trust, Communication, Define Roles and Responsibilities, Collective Goals and Engage Leadership. They are the pillars that come into how we prepare and how we play, and the girls have really bought into that.
The area for improvement
I think Sapphire are humming along. In Ruby, we're only sitting in fourth on the ladder with four wins and three losses, and for a team with the talent to win the competition, there is obviously heaps of room for improvement. And the biggest area is with our own error rate. We are losing games because of our own errors. Last weekend we had 39 errors, and you can’t win a comp like that. I accept it is an age thing; I have a very young team with a lot of teenagers playing who just haven’t developed that discipline yet. But they are playing Ruby and they need to step up.
Coaches’ Corner
Kim Boland - Ruby Series
We are borderline, we’re sitting at about a C + and we need to be better. If we want to compete with the top four teams and make our mark in the finals, we need to really dig deep now. And it is not about changing the way we play, but it's about fixing the errors and being more consistent. We've got some great talent in there, it is just a matter of putting it together week to week.
Rebecca Stower - Sapphire Series
We've come out of a very challenging pre-season—one where, even to this point, we haven’t had our full team together at training. But the way the group has responded speaks volumes about their character. The players who are present each week show up with intent, and they train hard—not just for themselves, but for the group. There’s been no resentment, only support, knowing that those who have been training elsewhere are still working just as hard and will return to strengthen our program.
That level of trust, understanding, and commitment within the squad is something I’m really proud of. While it might take us a little more time to find the consistency I expect, I have full belief in this group. We have high-calibre athletes with strong netball IQs, and when it all comes together, it’s going to be exciting.
Looking ahead, I’m most looking forward to watching this team grow and build with each performance—layer by layer—and hit our peak when it matters.
Gavin Clarke - M League
The new Bond Men's M League team had a short preparation, but being able to work with our Sapphire team enabled us to make some effective on and off court connections very quickly.
The team has a blend of experience and youth and we are looking to play a high tempo, skilful and expansive game that we believe can take us to the finals in this inaugural Men’s Premier Netball League season.