Joe Daniher says he and his teammates were able to learn a lot from the way the Geelong defence cut off their supply last week.
The Bombers were on top in a number of areas throughout the match, but it failed to translate into any significant advantage on the scoreboard.
“It was a tough game for me personally playing on the best players which is what I want to do,” Daniher told Triple M.
“They’re obviously a very good backline who have played together for a long time.
“To play on these guys you do learn a lot – for me it’s just about finding more consistency and being a little bit stronger to perform more consistently on a regular basis.”
At 22, Daniher is one of the leaders of the forward line.
He expects the potency of the group to increase as they spend more time playing together.
“We’re a young forward line that’s played three or four weeks together," Daniher said.
“That’s just the situation at hand and we’re looking to improve as best we can as quickly as we can.
“The way we’re going to do that is play against the best defences and Geelong is one of them."
Daniher played a starring role in the Bombers first win of the season against Melbourne.
He kicked two goals and pulled down 15 marks in a dominant display.
“We felt a lot of support… there was the march before the game where about 10,000 fans walked across the ‘G, so that gave the boys a lot of confidence going into the game,” Daniher said.
“To then have the win for the guys that have been supporting us was fantastic.”
The result was a morale booster for a team some had thought may not win a game in 2016.
Daniher was well supporter by David Zaharakis (34 possessions), Zach Merrett (32 possessions) and in just his second game Darcy Parish (21 possessions, eight tackles).
“He’s fantastic – he’s just a little Dyson Heppell clone,” Daniher said.
“When ‘Hep’ runs around, it means we’re going to have two running around.
“He’s (Parish) first class with the way he prepares for games… so it’s great to have ‘Darc’ on board.”
After a strong showing against Geelong in the ‘Country Game’, Daniher’s attention is squarely on the Bombers next blockbuster – Anzac Day.
“Once the ball is bounced the roar of the crowd is so loud that it’s really difficult to communicate with guys around you,” he said.
“You do find a little bit of extra energy just because of the day itself.”
