Grand final mind games as Brothers and Bond brush off favourites tag

Bond’s remarkable late-season surge has carried them all the way to a maiden Hospital Cup grand final, where they face a Brothers side chasing a third straight premiership in Sunday’s decider at Ballymore.

The Bull Sharks have won eight matches on the trot, including emphatic semi and preliminary final victories over Wests and Easts, to transform what was looking like a mediocre season into one of the competition’s great fairytale runs.

Bond head coach Mick Heenan said there was a special feeling around the Gold Coast club as they chase the region’s first Premier Rugby title since the defunct Breakers lifted the trophy in 2004.

“It’s wonderful to still be training at this time of year – the boys have worked really hard and we just keep getting better every week,” Heenan told Rugby News.

“We’ve got first and second grade in a grand final, which I just could not have imagined would happen. Between both sides, after five rounds, we’d won one game.”

Despite their momentum, Heenan insists Bond remain the underdogs against a Brothers side he described as the benchmark for three years – a run which has brought two premierships and two minor premierships.

“You looked at the Sportsbet, we were clearly the fourth line of betting coming into the finals,” he said.

“Of course we’re underdogs. Brothers can challenge you up front, out wide and everywhere in between. They are a completely different kettle of fish to Wests and Easts. They are going for a third title in a row.”

Heenan, coaching in his 18th finals campaign, knows the challenge well.

In nearly two decades he has won from fourth only once – with UQ in 2019, against Brothers.

While Bond are striving for a breakthrough premiership, Brothers have their own milestone in sight.

Brothers’ quest for a three-peat is rarely seen in Premier Rugby – however head coach Ben McCormack has been quick to deflect the favourites tag.

“Bond have rolled all the best teams in the competition over the last two months,” McCormack said.

“They’re coming in hot, and in the two finals they’ve played they’ve absolutely held them up. You’d have to say they’re favourites going into the final.”

McCormack described his opponents as “the glamour side of Bond University,” brushing aside Heenan’s underdog claim.

Still, the Brothers head coach warned momentum can cut both ways.

“It can create false confidence where you feel like everything’s going right and maybe you don’t do the work required,” he said.

“But if they start the game well, they’ll all feel unbeatable because they have been.”

Brothers have enjoyed the benefit of a week off following their semi-final win over Easts, which McCormack said had allowed his players to freshen up mentally and physically.

“We’re pretty low-key – a bit of yoga, a bit of earthing, some of the weird stuff to freshen the boys up,” he said.

“The guys are fresh and ready to roll.”

On the tactical front, McCormack expects a far different assignment to Easts.

“Bond probably play with a fair bit more deception and freedom in their attack,” he said.

“The unstructured play is really sharp, and they swarm on line breaks. So defensively our preparation is very different.”

For Bond, Heenan emphasised sticking to their own systems rather than being overawed by Brothers’ pedigree.

“You can’t get too intimidated by who you’re coming up against,” he said.

“Ninety percent of any game is about getting your own plan in order. We’ve made some big strides defensively, and we’re working a lot harder off the ball in attack.”