Set-piece dominance powers Bond to third-straight victory
By Tom Primmer & Brenden Hertel
Bond University continued their winning ways over the weekend, running out 28-15 victors over Sunnybank away from home.
The win is the Bullsharks third in as many attempts this season, and they remain the undefeated alongside Uni and GPS.
While winger Max Dowd scored a double for the Gold Coasters, it was the set-piece which set the tone for Dan Boardman’s side at the Bank.
In a far cry from their scrum struggles of last season, the Bond front row lay the platform for their potent backline on Saturday afternoon, with front row combination Nick Turner, Salesi Manu and Egan Siggs turning the screws on their Sunnybank counterparts.
Dragons head coach Sione Fukofuka pinpointed the set-piece as an area of dominance for the Bullsharks in the 13-point win.
“I was impressed with the improvement of their set piece, namely their scrum,” Fukofuka said.
“It really allowed them to play off front football and put us under pressure. This allowed the team to play with confidence.”
After an impressive victory over Easts in Round 1, the loss is a disappoting second outing for Sunnybank in what was their first home game of the season.
Fukofuka and his team will look to build more pressure on both sides of the ball in the coming weeks, with a number of attacking opportunities slipping through their fingers against Bond.
“We weren’t as accurate as we were against Easts with possession and didn’t convert our opportunities into points,” Fukofuka said.
“Errors put us under pressure and meant we had to defend for long periods, so we will work hard at our execution under pressure.
“Defensively we were unable to convert pressure to enough turnovers so we will look at that this week heading into GPS.”
The Bankers will travel to Yoku Road to face Jeeps this weekend, while Bond have the bye before hosting the Gallopers themselves.
Bond University 28 (Max Dowd 2, Nick Turner, Nixon Taramai tries; James Abrosini 4 cons) Sunnybank 15 (Nesetolio Solia, Jeffrey Faamausili tries; Hayden Sargeant con; Sargeant pen)