Matthew Knights has dangled the carrot in front of his young list following a recent spate of injuries to more senior players.  

The coach told media today that injuries to key players, coupled with a four-match suspension to Andrew Welsh, has presented an opportunity to reward a number of consistent VFL performers.

“With Ricky Dyson, Andrew Welsh, Tayte Pears and Kyle Reimers out, it starts to give guys in the VFL an opportunity,” Knights said to Bomber.tv today.

“Bendigo has won its last four games straight so we have some guys that are putting their hands up for selection, which we will finalise on Thursday.”
A heavy hit to Henry Slattery during last weekend’s game will also keep the Bombers’ hardnut out for up to four weeks, opening up another spot in the Bombers’ defence.

“I am just amazed at Henry Slattery’s courage to put his hand up to come onto the ground in the second half when he was really sore,” Knights said.

“As a result, he won’t play this week and he is likely to miss between three to four weeks.”

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A four-goal performance in the VFL last weekend may not have been enough for Mark Williams to earn a place in the senior line-up this week with Alwyn Davey, David Zaharakis and Sam Lonergan likely to hold their spots.

“Mark Williams played quite well in the VFL, kicking four goals and putting in a lot more work to cover the ground,” Knights said.

“It is a challenge for us as Zaharakis and Monfries have been playing well in those medium-sized roles, along with Lonergan and Davey.

“It is just a matter of whether we can fit Mark back into the line-up and when that time does come I just urge him to take that opportunity.”
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