The Bull Sharks will get the chance to defend their QAFLW seniors and reserves premierships after advancing past Aspley and into a second consecutive grand final.
In a rematch of last year’s grand final against Aspley, the seniors prevailed by four points in a dour affair while the going was easier for the reserves who cruised to 44-point win.
Both sides will meet Southport in the QAFLW premiership decider at People First Stadium on Sunday.
In the QFA, our senior men fell short against Coolangatta and will now meet Carrara in a sudden death final while the reserves return from the bye to play Burleigh.
Bond v Aspley at Aspley.
Bull Sharks won 4.7 (31) to 4.3 (27)
Best: Sophie Balcombe, Mia Salisbury, Tahlia Meyer, Charlotte Taylor, Nyalli Milne, Paris Lightfoot.
Where it was won:
We got off to a great start which we knew was critical given it was at their home ground. We were able to grab the ascension in and around stoppages, which gave us first look at forward 50m entries. Our defence was resolute and stopped a lot of their attacking moves. Aspley came hard at us in the fourth quarter and again our back line was amazing under pressure rebounding countless times to help us win the game,
The highlight:
The highlight was the performance of our six defenders. They were like a brick wall and impassable for most of the night.
What made you happy:
The fact that we got challenged late in the game and we were able to remain calm, stick to the plan and to keep playing our brand of football. We were forced to dig in and fight which to our girls’ credit they were able to do over four quarters.
The work to do:
Our stoppage and clearance work will need to be really strong in the Grand Final as this is a strength of our opposition’s. We will need to defend the ball in the air against Southport’s tall forwards. We still need to work on our connectivity between our midfield and forward line.
Trademark Player:
Sophie Balcombe, she played on one of Aspley’s most dangerous small forwards and was able to win that battle convincingly. Not only did she defend well but she gave us great run and drive across half back.
Reserves.
Bull Sharks won 9.11 (65) to 3.3 (21)
Best: Grace Ella, Tshinta Kendall, Isabella Iverach, Hannah Garland, Andria Heard, Tobi Chapman.
QFA
Bond v Coolangatta at Coolangatta
Bull Sharks lost 8.13 (61) to 6.6 (42).
Best: Will King, Oliver Burrows-Cheng, Darcy Dienjes, Ethan Shovelton, Blake Spencer, Liam Viney.
Where it was lost:
The game started with Coolangatta skipping away to an early lead. We were horribly unlucky with three of their first goals coming from free kicks inside their forward 50m. We would never blame any decisions although we felt the free kicks weren’t there. In saying that we responded well although never felt quite in touch all day in a highly contested game.
The highlight:
There weren’t too many highlights all day as it was a highly congested, highly contested game. The ground was still in poor condition given the rain we had in the previous week which added to the congested game style both teams had to deal with. The way we matched them in the middle part of the game was a real highlight and kept us in the game.
What made you happy:
The team never gave in and competed for the entire 100 minutes, giving themselves a real opportunity to win. We had several of our most talented players out of the team due to injury although all players that represented Bond on the weekend should be proud. They were brave until the end, which should give the group real belief going into another final this weekend at our home base.
Bull Sharks Footy:
We played a way that we should be proud of but just couldn’t quite finish off at crucial times in the game which hurt us.
The work to do:
Much to think about this week around selection and who may be available to play in a do or die finals contest. We need to ensure the group remains fresh physically and emotionally to ensure we give ourselves every opportunity to be at our best come Saturday.
Trademark player:
Ollie-Burrows-Cheng was a standout all day. His ability to throw himself into contest after contest was inspiring in what was his best game for the year. He is one of the most experienced and respected players in the competition and was sensational for the Bull Sharks on the weekend.
With Andy Lovell