Suns to feel right at home

BOND University will host the Gold Coast Suns in their match against Port Adelaide for round 5 of the AFLW’s seventh season.

The standard of the Canal’s oval and facilities tipped the scales when AFL officials were on the hunt for a replacement location for Metricon Stadium for the September 25 match.

Fox Sports will broadcast live from the ground.

The Bull Sharks’ reputation as a top-tier women’s football nursery has seen them produce 23 AFLW players over the past six years, more than any other club in the country.

Former Bull Shark Shannon Danckert was drafted to the Gold Coast Suns in January for their sixth season. After captaining Bond in 2020 and 2021, Danckert is excited to be back at Bond.

“I’m just really excited to be back on the ground where I’ve played the majority of my footy and the place where I really developed as a player,” Danckert (pictured) said.

“I’m really lucky and grateful to be coming back to the ground and I’m looking forward to embracing it.”

Danckert isn’t the only one returning to her Bull Sharks roots. Serene Watson, Lauren Bella, Ellie Hampson and Jasmyn Smith will be part of the Suns squad for the match, while twins Litonya and Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap are both signed to Port Adelaide.

Danckert said the team was looking forward to the game.

“With a lot of our team members having played for Bond previously, it’s nice for us to have that sense of familiarity with our old home soil,” she said. “We’re a pretty adaptable group and we’re lucky to be able train here over the coming weeks to get a feel for the ground.”

Catch all the action at the Canal from 1.10pm on Sunday. September 25.