Bull Sharks dial long distance as Stower breaks another record

Mia Stower is starting to carry on like a broken record – and this time her mum couldn’t be happier. 

The former Queensland Firebird has put on another Super Shot masterclass, sinking a jaw-dropping 21 long bombs to shatter her own Premier League Netball record and lead the Bull Sharks to a 94–53 demolition of Moreton Bay Pulse, the club’s sixth win on the trot.   

She has now sunk a competition-leading 79 two-pointers from just seven games.

Stower has found a new lease on life after dropping back to play under her mum Rebecca at the Bull Sharks. 

And her arrival last year, which coincided with the introduction of the Super Shot rule, has transformed the Bull Sharks who sit a game clear on top of the Sapphire Series ladder.  

“I’ve absolutely loved my time playing at Bond,” she said.

“Transitioning from Suncorp Super Netball was challenging at first. The shift in pace and intensity took some adjusting to. 

“But being back home with Mum and surrounded by this phenomenal team has made all the difference.

“The girls are incredibly hardworking, humble, and genuinely care about one another.    

“It’s a focused environment where standards are high and expectations are clear, and that structure has helped me rediscover my love for the game – something that’s really started to reflect in my performance.”

New recruit Kirra Tappenden has also proven to be deadly from long range in her first season at the club.

Tappenden slotted 11 of 13 Super Shot attempts in the previous weekend’s 36-point victory over the Carina Leagues Club Tigers.

The dual threat allows coach Rebecca Stower to challenge oppositions by rotating through different offensive set-ups.

Depending on the defence they are facing, the Bull Sharks might opt for the long-range attack from Tappenden and Stower, or one of the pair with Sunshine Coast Lightning SSN Reserves player Kaylin van Greunen who brings rebounding prowess. 

While van Greunen has been working hard to add a Super Shot threat to her arsenal, it is still under the post where she does her best work.

If defences get too focussed on the danger posed by either Stower or Tappenden outside the circle and leave van Greunen room to move, she punishes them. 

In the derby against the Titans, van Greunen led the way for the Bull Sharks with 50 goals.

“The introduction of the Super Shot last year has really changed the game,” Stower said.

“Like every club, we had to put a lot of work into how we defend against it, but we’ve also really focussed on how we can make it an attacking weapon. 

“Having Mia and Kirra who really excel from long range gives us a lot of flexibility with how we set up our offence, and in particular how we can look for opportunities to exploit different defences if we identify mismatches.” 

Players who are just as deadly from outside the circle as they are inside will become the prototype as the game evolves and van Greunen has shown steady improvement throughout the season. 

Tappenden is a different story. The 19-year-old Queensland Firebirds training partner and Firebirds Futures representative was sinking them from long range before the new rules were introduced.

“I feel like I’ve always loved long-range shooting more,” she said.

“I was making Queensland teams as a defender when a coach randomly switched me to goal attack. 

“I didn’t know how to move in the circle so when I got the ball, I shot it from where I landed. My parents always said, ‘turn and shoot’, so I learnt at a young age to just do that.”