What went right
They beat St Kilda twice. The round eight win was the first of three that saw them in the eight after round 10. The second came in round 18 and, coupled with a triumph over North Melbourne, gave fans something to cheer about.

Scott Gumbleton got through a season - nearly. Fans finally saw their prized forward manage a consecutive stack of games; 18, in fact. He kicked 19 goals, showed sure hands and strength and signed a two-year deal despite fractured ribs ending his season early.

Eight players debuted after just three last year. Ben Howlett, Jake Melksham and Travis Colyer played the most but appearances by Jake Carlisle, Stewart Crameri, Kyle Hardingham, Marcus Marigliani and Tyson Slattery will help their development.

What went wrong
They missed the finals. After last year’s top-eight finish the Bombers were projected to take another step. Injuries cruelled their run but even so, more was expected despite Matthew Knights’ decision to persist with youth.

Mark Williams, the Bombers’ big off-season signing, played the first four games before injuries and form saw him play seven in the VFL. His season ended in July owing to an ankle injury. It wasn’t enough for the player that cost draft picks 16 and 24. 

Speculation surrounded Matthew Knights’ future for the second half of the season. There were too many press conferences at Windy Hill that were focused on the coach’s position, and James Hird didn’t help with his comments in round 20. one day after the Bombers' season ended Knights got the chop. 

Most valuable player
Jobe Watson. Played 21 games for an average of 27 possessions, despite looking like his leg was about to fall off at times. Led through adversity in his first season as skipper, handled speculation surrounding Knights with aplomb and will probably win the club’s best and fairest.

Coach's award for one-percenters
Heath Hocking played 22 games, backing up from his breakout season last year, and continued to impress with his hard-at-it ways. He set up numerous goals throughout the year, pushed hard inside 50 and was a hard tackler.

Needs a big pre-season
Brent Prismall dropped off a bit in his second year at Windy Hill and was dropped to the VFL for five games. His usually sound skills didn’t always look as shiny as they once were.

Trading places
The Bombers want Bulldog Ryan Griffen but he wants to stay at Whitten Oval. Bachar Houli is sure to be frustrated and has been linked to Fremantle but could he be wooed to Greater Western Sydney for a VFL season by former coach Kevin Sheedy? Brent Stanton and Henry Slattery are yet to re-sign.

Overall grade: D