Ready to turn his back on the AFL, Bond signed with the Central District of the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).
However, a friend and teammate at Carlton, Ian Herman, persuaded Bond to change his plans and join the Richmond Football Club.
Bond's experience and reliability was a major attraction for Fremantle – facing the 1998 AFL season without the retiring Ben Allan and Scott Watters and a coach in Gerard Neesham on a one-year performance based contract extension.
After nine games in a row of losing to crosstown rivals West Coast Eagles, Bond led the team to their first Western Derby victory.
After the 1999 season, Bond took a coaching job in Victoria with the Werribee Tigers, a VFL-affiliate of the Western Bulldogs.