A season of grit and determination for Bond University and the University of Queensland will culminate this Sunday as they go head-to-head in a varsity battle for the QAFLW Premiership.
Six Lions are set to take to the field for their shot at State title glory and their second Premiership title of 2021.
Brisbane full-forward Taylor Smith will be the sole Lion lining up for Bond, while the University of Queensland is brimming with the talent of Lions Nat Grider, Bre Koenen, Dakota Davidson, Greta Bodey and Maria Moloney.
With neither team a heavily experienced Finals side, the fate of the game could lay in the practiced hands of our Premiership-winning Lions.
Ladder leaders Bond have displayed a near-perfect performance this home and away season, with just one loss on the books.
The Gold Coast side has been building form since their devastating 2019 Grand Final loss against Coorparoo to become the team to beat in 2021.
In a similar turn, UQ has emerged over the past five years from an easy-beat label to a true flag contender, recording a mere four losses this season.
The real game-changer for their season, and particularly successful finals run, has to come down to the plentiful addition of Lions’ talent after the girls took home the silverware in the AFLW Grand Final.
Our AFLW players showed no signs of slowing down after strong performances throughout their successful 2021 season and given five of Lions’ key players went to UQ, it’s no surprise they’ve meshed well in UQ colours.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
After going 13 weeks undefeated, Bond felt their first loss in Round 14, and felt it hard, suffering a 96 – 31 defeat at the hands of UQ. Bodey and Davidson were both standouts in the defeat of their varsity rivals, kicking five and four goals, respectively.
Just a week later, the two teams met in the Semi-Finals where UQ once again dominated Bond with a final score of 62-26 on Bond’s home turf.
So while this Gold Coast side are statistically the team to beat, it seems the University of Queensland may be their kryptonite.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Leyshon Park, Sunday 11 July, 2:15pm AEST.
WHO TO WATCH:
Taylor Smith (Bond University): Last year’s Best and Fairest and a tall force on the footy field.
Grace Brennan (UQ): Leading Goal kicker with 22 goals for the season.
Dakota Davidson (UQ): A multiple goal scorer, Davidson shines on the big stage in pressure moments.
Fans are encouraged to come watch our Lions girls at Leyshon Park this Sunday, with $10 entry.
