By Adam Sheldon

Bond University stormed into the top four with their most impressive Hospital Cup scalp of the season– a dramatic 29–26 victory over Brothers, sealed by a last-minute penalty goal on the Gold Coast.

The result not only lifted Bond above Souths into fourth spot but also gave them control of their finals destiny heading into the final three rounds.

With games remaining against Sunnybank, GPS and Norths – all teams below the Gold Coast club on the ladder – Bond’s path to the playoffs is now theirs to lose.

“It was pretty tense towards the end, but good to win a close one,” Bond head coach Mick Heenan told Rugby News.

“We’re definitely in the driver’s seat for finals now, which is good – but we’ve been in this position before and let it slip. We’ve got to stay focused.”

Bond dominated the first half, scoring three tries to one and taking a 19–5 lead into the break over the two-time reigning premiers. 

The Bull Sharks stretched it to 26–12 in the second, but Brothers responded with two late tries – the last scored by winger Oliver Harvey in the 78th minute – to level the match.

Bond regained possession from the restart and, after several composed phases, earned a penalty in front, which Luke Depiazzi calmly slotted to seal the win.

“I knew we’d get another chance with the ball,” Heenan said.

“The boys handled it really well. It was actually the reverse of last year, when Brothers beat us with a penalty after the siren. So, it was nice to flip the script.”

The match was also one of the most physically demanding of the season, with Bond defending for long stretches of the second half.

“We didn’t really have the ball in the second half and we were defending on our try line for long periods to hold them out. The ball was always in play – it would’ve been exhausting for both teams,” Heenan said.

The win – Bond’s sixth – was described by Heenan as their best of the year.

“Brothers, Wests and Easts have been the top three sides all year,” Heenan said.

“We’ve been close against them before but hadn’t got the job done. So, to beat a team like Brothers in a tight one means a lot.”

The Bond head coach lauded a number of his key players. 

“Rhys Sheriff (tighthead prop) played really strongly, and George Blake (hooker) probably had his best game in Bond colours since I’ve been at the club,” he said.

“Tyler Campbell and Dan Boardman in the centres tackled themselves to a standstill in the second half.”

Around the Grounds

Elsewhere in the Hospital Cup, Wests won their ninth straight game of the season with a 69–14 demolition of Sunnybank, as Elwee Prinsloo’s side jumped into the top two at the expense of Brothers, who have now lost two on the bounce. 

“Wests are just flying at the moment. They’re at the top of their powers and will be hard to stop,” Heenan said.

Easts, for their part, regained top spot and bounced back from last weekend’s loss to UQ with a 26–15 win over Souths, knocking the Magpies out of the top four.

“Easts winning was expected after last week’s loss,” Heenan said.

In the weekend’s final fixture, GPS overcame Norths 52–31 to keep their slim finals hopes alive and all but end Norths’ hopes of a top-four finish.

UQ had the bye.