Putting the fire into Sapphire

Bull Sharks Roar Back Into Top Netball Competition

by Matt Webber

After a year away from elite Queensland netball, the Bond Bull Sharks are back.

They return refreshed, recalibrated, and raring to go according to Bond’s Head of Netball Operations, Kim Boland.

“We want Bond University to be a genuine destination for young athletes, and especially talented athletes who want to study.”

For Boland, visibility is important.

“We’ve ramped up a ‘Cubs’ junior development program to help connect with community netball,” she says. “We’ve also set up an Indigenous talent program to play a role in bridging opportunity gaps.

“On top of that we’ve taken on a development squad to help players on the cusp of elite performance make the transition.”

Bond’s 2023 Ruby and Sapphire players were selected with an eye to the future.

Several Bull Sharks competed for Queensland at U17 and U19 level at the National Netball Championships earlier this year. Exciting young goal shooter Kaylin van Greunen has since been selected in the Australian U19 squad.

Allanah Penny is a member of Bond’s Sapphire League team. A Bond Elite Sport Program scholar, Penny is completing a Doctorate of Physiotherapy.

“The University is really supportive,” she says. “I love that I get to train and compete as downtime. It’s perfect for me.”

The Sapphire and Ruby series are talent nurseries for Suncorp Super Netball. Several former Bond players have made that step, including Ava Black and Ashleigh Ervin who both play with Sunshine Coast Lightning.