Bond powered into their first Hospital Cup grand final with an emphatic 47–14 away win over Easts in Sunday’s preliminary final – consigning the Tigers to a straight-sets exit despite their dominance across much of the regular season.

The Bull Sharks ran in five first-half tries to Easts’ one, with the contest effectively over before the second forty minutes began.

“We were pretty clinical in the first half,” Bond head coach Mick Heenan told Rugby News.

 “We didn’t do everything perfectly – it got a bit messy when Easts scored their try – but we got a couple of long-range tries from turnover ball late in the half, and that really put the game to bed.”

Despite leading by 28 points at half-time, Heenan admitted he was far from comfortable.

“At half-time I was thinking back to all the games I’ve lost from similar leads over the years,” he said.

“I wasn’t feeling good until about probably 10 minutes to go – but looking back on it now, it was going to be pretty hard for them to come back.”

For Easts, the defeat marked a bitter end to a campaign that saw them set the benchmark early – winning their opening nine fixtures – before faltering when it mattered most.

Having topped the ladder for long stretches, the Tigers fell to Brothers in the major semi-final before crashing out against Bond.

“They probably just ran out of a bit of gas at the end of the season,” Heenan said.

“Of course, you feel for them, but I’ve been there and done that. I just know how important it is to be firing at the right end of the season.

“It’s never nice to go out in straight sets. Everyone, when you get to the finals, has a chance of winning. But there’s not much room for sympathy – everyone’s just trying to win.”

Asked whether Easts’ style had simply been found out, he disagreed.

“People probably worked out Easts’ game plan before the season started – it’s very hard to stop and it’s very effective,” he said.

 “So, it’s not so much that they worked it out. I just think it becomes harder to maintain the when you lose some important players just before finals.”

Momentum, though, has carried Bond in the opposite direction.

After winning just once in the opening five games, the Bull Sharks have now reeled off eight straight victories, sweeping through knockout clashes against heavyweights Wests and Easts with relative ease, to set up a grand final date with Brothers.

For Bond, it will be a first Hospital Cup grand final appearance since joining the competition in 2013 – a breakthrough moment more than a decade in the making.

It is also the first time a Gold Coast club has reached the decider since 2007, when the region’s former side, the Gold Coast Breakers, last appeared. Their only Premier Rugby premiership success came under that guise in 2004.

Having coached in 18 finals campaigns, Heenan knows better than most how decisive form at the right end of the season can be.

“There are three distinct parts to the season – pre-season, the regular season and then finals,” he said.

“The point of the regular season is to get to finals in good shape – you want to be healthy and confident. That’s where we are now.”

Bond will face Brothers in Sunday’s decider at Ballymore – the Brethren chasing a third straight premiership, and the Bull Sharks aiming to turn their fairytale late-season surge into a historic first title.