Pride and team spirit took the sting out of the Bull Sharks’ first loss of the QAFLW season to the Aspley Hornets.
Despite the 34-43 loss, the team celebrated vice-captain Annie Muir’s 50th game with the club on Saturday.
Muir attributes her accomplishment to the club’s culture which she has seen develop over her five-year stint with Bond AFL.
“I started at Bond when I was 16 so I’ve grown up here and it has been quite the journey,” she said.
“I have been surrounded by amazing people at the club who have helped me grow a lot as a person as well as on the field.
“It’s been really good to have had that support from when I started so young to now as an adult and one of the older girls on the team.
“That’s been the highlight – not so much the footy side of things, but just growing up here around the club and around the people.”
The 21-year-old hopes to lead by example in her role as vice-captain alongside captain Paris Lightfoot who played her 100th game for Bond earlier this season.
“When I came to the club so young I had those role models and older people to look up to, so I look to be that for the younger ones now,” Muir said.
“I really enjoy working with the younger girls and I know a lot of them in the Academy so I feel like I can help those girls juggle that. It’s just really exciting getting to be a part of it all.”
The team’s camaraderie - spearheaded by Muir on Saturday - turned the loss against Aspley into an opportunity for collective improvement.
“They’re always a really hard team to play against,” Muir said.
“They’re so hard at the contest which isn’t really our particular style of footy. We like to run and use our speed a bit more and they really challenged us with that, not only today but every time we’ve played them.
“They’re a really tough team to play against and they killed it today.
“I think we just have to work a bit more on our contested ball work but we’re still really up and about as a group and working well as a team so we’re in high spirits for the rest of the season.”
Bond midfielder Courtney Sexton agrees the team is more united than ever after round 4’s hard-fought battle.
“We’ve got a lot to learn from this game but we can’t be too hard on ourselves because it is still early in the season and we’re still getting to know how to play with each other,” she said.
“We’ve got lots of new faces so we’re just coming together and building our culture so when it comes to finals time we’ll be ready to go.
“Getting the young girls in means we’ve got more speed and their skills are immaculate, so we’re just building on that and it is making us a stronger force.
“It’s just a learning experience right now and we’re improving each week so that is what matters.
“We’ll have a big week on the training track, try and work on our skills under pressure, and go again next week.”
The Bull Sharks reserves won 25-19 against Aspley after a number of lead changes, while Bond’s men’s senior team also came out on top with a gripping 60-42 victory over Coomera.