Fresh from a comfortable victory over last placed Box Hill, the Bendigo Bombers will this weekend take on reigning VFL Premiers, Geelong, in a game that will play a major part in deciding if the Bombers will have a role to play in this year’s VFL finals.

Last weekend’s win was Bendigo’s third for the season, taking them above Tasmania on the ladder to 11th spot and within a game of Geelong who sit eighth at the mid-way point of the season.

Bendigo Coach, Adrian Hickmott, has seen signs of improvement in his team over the past few weeks and believes if Bendigo continues this trend over the next month finals will be well within their reach.

“The six weeks before the break we are really focusing on individualising player performances, both Bendigo and Essendon listed players,” Hickmott said.
 
""We don’t want blokes to stop improving or just be improving by half a percent, we want them to be getting better and better every time they play and that includes on the track and on game day.

“Finals have always been realistic in my mind and have always been the main aim of the season but I guess when the players see they are just on the edge it adds another incentive for them all to keep playing well.""

Scott Gumbleton made a successful return from injury last weekend when he played his first game for the season booting two goals and marking strongly around the ground as the Bombers ran out 35 point winners away at Box Hill.

Hickmott was pleased with the return of Gumbleton and while he is happy to have him playing for Bendigo he is also looking forward to seeing him in the Essendon side as soon as possible.

“He was very good for having missed 10 weeks of football. He kicked a couple of goals, contested well in the air and really ran hard,” he said.
 
""Of course he blew up because no matter how fit he was there is nothing like the bumps and knocks that comes with competitive football. The main thing I am trying to do is build his confidence so when he is selected for Essendon he has an impact at AFL level.""

Bendigo has also been buoyed by the return of several experienced Essendon listed players and as they fight to regain their spot in the senior side their individual performances are ensuring Bendigo remains in striking distance of the top eight.

Players like Mal Michael and Damien Peverill have all been very important in Bendigo’s recent good form and against this weekend’s opponent, Geelong, they will need to again be having the influence they have been.

Geelong is coming off three straight losses at the hands of Coburg, North Ballarat and Casey and will be looking toward the weekend’s game as a great opportunity to break the recent string of defeats.
 
The Bendigo team is:
 

B

Flaherty

Michael

Holmes

HB

Chartres

Johns

Crameri

C

Magin

Peverill

Williams

HF

Bowe

Hooker

Gumbleton

F

Hartigan

Bristow

Weeks

R

Bellchambers

Skipworth

Dyson

Int

Geary

Fahour

Anderson

Davies

Atkinson

Coghlan

Dick

 
Bendigo Bombers play Geelong at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo on Sunday 15 June at 2pm.