A season like no other with Andy Lovell and Bec Stower - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LtlAc4FDmRp5wxaFpKFKa?si=ntPwmtAARpWbXJG0vy909w
When a season ends and the celebrations subside, the real measure of success often lies in what remains — the lessons learned, the standards set, and the culture that endures.
For Bond University, 2025 was a landmark winter across multiple codes and a fascinating insight into how strong planning and clear values can sustain performance over time.
Bond’s women’s rugby team claimed a fourth consecutive premiership, the men’s rugby side secured their first ever title, Bond’s men’s AFL team won a dramatic extra-time grand final victory, and the Bull Sharks netballers claimed a come-from-behind win for the ages to claim their first ever crown
For Bec Stower, Bond’s head netball coach, the Hart Premier League title was the product of long-term planning rather than short-term focus.
“It was a three-year work-on,” she explained.
“We gradually built depth, versatility, and belief.”
That belief was tested throughout the season as player availability fluctuated, but Stower emphasised consistency in approach.
“If only five players attended training, we ensured those five still got value,” she said.
“It was about making every session meaningful.”
The benefits of an approach that embraced the challenge of adaptability were evident in the grand final.
In the shadows of half time, Bond trailed by 16 goals.
Despite the margin, Stower stayed calm.
She relied on systems and combinations built across the season.
But she wasn’t afraid to adjust including subbing out her experienced ex-Firebird daughter, and well-known big moment contributor, Mia.
She also switched out her lead-from-the-front captain, Sophie Westover.
“It came down to trust,” she reflected. “We had confidence in the whole group and in the work we’d done.”
Meanwhile, Andy Lovell, Bond’s Director of AFL, was managing a significant transition in Bond’s AFL program.
The women’s team had lost 25 players through graduation, relocation, and AFLW drafts - including five to the Gold Coast Suns.
“It was a year of consolidation,” Lovell said.
“We focused on providing opportunity to players who had been developing in the reserves rather than recruiting externally.”
That focus extended to reinforcing culture and clarity.
“We introduced a new defensive system, and it took time,” Lovell noted.
“But the players fully committed.”
The men’s team also reflected that connection, fielding its youngest side yet. An incredible 32 of 55 players were also Bond students.
“They studied together, trained together, socialised together,” he said.
“It created a level of unity that translated into performance.”
That unity was tested in the grand final - one which went to extra time with scores were level after regular time.
Just as well head coach Kain Ford had rehearsed this exact scenario during training earlier in the week
“When it happened, there was calm,” Lovell said. “The players understood exactly what to do because they’d practised it.”
Practice made perfect.
A sporting lesson as old as time.