It was a successful weekend for the Bull Sharks QFA and QAFLW teams, but they can expect goal-kicking practice to be on the agenda at training this week.
Both sides were guilty of poor conversion which denied them the chance to make hefty percentage hikes from their Round 6 matchups.
The Bull Sharks senior men cracked the code on Saturday to take their first win on Coolangatta’s home ground since 2020, with a final score of 80-36.
Following their match against Coomera last week, this marks the second game in a row in which the Bull Sharks have defeated one of the league’s toughest teams.
The senior women also took a much-needed win in their home game against Yeronga, with a final score of 78-10.
HOW IT UNFOLDED
The senior women made an outstanding start, denying Yeronga any points until part way through the second quarter.
The Devils eventually responded with two points and a goal in the second quarter, however Bond’s tenacity around their forward line allowed them to go into half time with a comfortable 52-8 lead.
The Bull Sharks continued their dominance throughout the remainder of the game however their inaccurate goal kicking cost them the chance to bank some valuable percentage points. There were several misses from point blank in the 11-12 (78) to 1-5 (11) result.
It was a similar story for the men in their match against 2022 premiers the Coolangatta Blues, with Bond’s lack of conversion resulting in 20 behinds.
It was a very tight game initially, with the distance between Bond and Cooly never exceeding more than nine points for the first three quarters.
Bond ended the third quarter with a score of 4-14 (38) and were facing the very real possibility of allowing a win to slip through their fingers. However, their wonky radar finally found its range in the final term.
The Bull Sharks’ fitness and fast ball movement also shone through in the final quarter, allowing them to keep the footy in their half of the field for the entirety of the quarter whilst disallowing Cooly any scoring opportunities.
With a final score of 10-20-(80) to Coolangatta’s 5-6 (36), you could predict that some goal-kicking practice might be on the cards for Bond’s forward players this week.
WHO’S HOT
Notable performances for the senior women included Georgia Johnson in the midfield, Lily Tarlington in the forward line, and Grace Moody in defence.
The return of Mikayla Pauga from the Brisbane Lions to Bond’s midfield added an additional layer of strength to the team.
In the senior men’s, Axel Moore’s standout performance in the midfield was hailed as his best game since joining the club three seasons ago.
Matthew Smith and Morgan Ferres were also dangerous in the forward line, each kicking three goals.
WHAT THEY SAID
Bond’s Director of AFL and senior women’s coach Andy Lovell described the win as a great bounce back after the disappointment of last week.
“I thought out first quarter was outstanding and that was really where we won the game,” Lovell said.
“Our skill levels were a little bit fumbly at times, but I thought our effort was brilliant and to beat them by 10 goals is a really good win for us.”
Senior men’s captain Wyatt Bacon also expressed his satisfaction with their significant win.
“It definitely feels good to beat Cooly after not winning on their ground since 2020,” said Bacon.
“It was quite a physical game, and their ruthless crowd was quite vocal from the sidelines as usual.
“But nevertheless, I think this really fuelled our fire in the end, and we’re super happy to take the win.”
IN OTHER GAMES
In addition to the seniors’ success, both reserves teams produced strong wins to top off the Bull Sharks’ winning round.
The reserve men recorded a 9-3 (57) to 7-4 (46) victory and the women accounted for Yeronga 6-8 (44) to 4-1 (19).