By Grace Hamilton
Bond University women’s seniors will take on the University of Queensland this Saturday in the QAFLW semi-final.
The match will see Bond challenge the 2022 minor premiers in a bid to secure their place in the grand final.
Following a convincing round 16 win, the team will look to bring their A-game despite missing two senior players.
The Bull Sharks have made defence a priority and hope the suffocating pressure they apply to the reigning premiers will be the key to victory.
LAST TIME THEY MET
The last time these teams went head-to-head was in round seven.
With poor weather playing a large factor in play, the game was rough and ended in a tight score line.
The University of Queensland managed to take the win from Bond with the final result being 16-24.
Since the May 14th match, Bond have made huge improvements and are determined to get revenge.
ONE TO WATCH
A stellar performance in round 16 has placed Georgia Hutton in the spotlight for finals, and she is set to play an integral part of the team’s full-field defence.
Speaking to Hutton, she said the biggest lesson learned this year was to keep her head up.
“It’s about playing for each other on the field,” she said.
The young star was named Player of the Round last week against Maroochydore and has proven her skills on the wing all season.
Hutton said the result will come down to the team’s defensive performance.
“It was a let down at the start of the season,” she said.
“We’ve changed to focus on defence before we attack.”
IN OTHER GRADES
Following a dominant 69-point win last week, the women’s reserve team will look to defeat Southport in their semi-final.
The girls come into this finals season with high hopes of grand final contention, having secured the minor premiership.
In the men’s games, both the seniors and reserves hope to take advantage of the BYE round to recover ahead of their round 16 matches.
The two teams will go head-to-head against Ballina next week.
MATCH DAY INFORMATION
Finals Round 1
Seniors - University of Queensland vs Bond University - Saturday 3:00pm - UQ playing field 2
Reserves - Bond University vs Southport - Saturday 11:00am - Leyshon Park 1