Fresh off leading Bond to their maiden Hospital Cup premiership in 2025, Bull Sharks head coach Mick Heenan believes the club’s strong player retention and renewed self-belief has it well positioned for another strong season.

Speaking to Rugby News after the club’s first full preseason session, Heenan said early indicators around numbers, quality and game understanding were all tracking ahead of last year.

“We’re definitely better than this time last year,” Heenan said.

“The early indication is that pretty much the entire starting side from the grand final will be back this year, and the boys’ in-game understanding is stronger than it was 12 months ago.”

While premiership-winning sides are often broken up by success, Heenan said lifting silverware had instead reinvigorated senior players while also attracting younger talent keen to test themselves at a higher level.

“We thought it might go the other way for some older guys who would want to ride off into the sunset, but winning has actually reinvigorated them,” he said.

“We finished the season playing really good footy and I think they want more of it.”

Despite capping a nine-game winning run by beating Brothers in a thrilling grand final, Bond flirted with missing finals at various stages of last season as form fluctuated.

Heenan said last season’s inconsistency and in-game errors, highlighted by three yellow cards in the decider, meant his side entered the new season with a more mature approach to game management.

“There’s a maturity in how we manage the game, and a maturity and understanding of what works for us, and what’s our kryptonite as well,” Heenan said.

“There’s a real power in understanding how competitive it is. In this competition, if you drop your intensity or you’re a bit off your game, other teams are good enough to beat you.”

Bond face a demanding preseason schedule, including trials against Sunnybank and the Hunter Wildfires, before travelling to Sydney for a Club Championship clash with Warringah in March.

Off the field, the Bull Sharks remained largely stable, with former Melbourne Rebels assistant coach Sean Hedger stepping into the club’s general manager of rugby role after previously serving as director of rugby.

“He’s a very experienced operator and knows club footy extremely well, it’s all been really positive,” Heenan said.