Bendigo captain Nick Carter was superb collecting 34 possessions. He also laid four tackles and pumped the ball inside 50m on five occasions. Cory McGrath was another star and again must be close to senior selection. McGrath collected 29 possessions and worked hard at both ends of the ground – going inside 50m seven times and rebounding four times. ""Cory was terrific again for us against Geelong. He just works hard at his game and he played another top game. He has the respect of everyone around the club and when the senior opportunity arises I am sure he will grab hold of it,” development coach David Flood said.
A pleasing aspect of the win was the fact some players who have not got a lot of football under their belt this season, came through the game well. Aaron Henneman was one of those players. Henneman, who has suffered from groin problems this season, only picked up eight possessions but he moved well and will be much better for the run. ""Just like with Ces and Mercs having an experienced bloke back is terrific for the younger players. He got through the whole game and he got better as the game wore on. Henneman’s attack on the ball was fantastic and he will only get better from this week on. Give him a few weeks and hopefully he will be back in the senior side,"" Flood said.
Ben Haynes (19 possessions) also did well, particularly late in the game. He had not played a game this season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Mark Mercuri and Steve Alessio both returned to the VFL side and were solid contributors. ""Mercs was terrific against Geelong. His first half was fantastic - he showed a lot of leadership. Hopefully he will be back to his brilliant best as soon a possible because he is such an important part of the team. He and Ces (Steve Alessio) were fantastic and really helped the young blokes,” Flood said.
A couple of Essendon youngsters also impressed. Jason Winderlich took nine marks and kicked two goals while Darren Walsh also kicked two goals from his 15 possessions. The full list of statistics are below:
N. Carter 15 kicks, 5 marks, 19 handballs
C. McGrath 13, 16, 3
R. Forster-Knight 15, 10, 9
S. Alessio 14, 10, 10
T. McGrath 13, 11, 7
J. Bannister 9, 12, 4
S. Howard 15, 5, 4
T. Richards 12, 7, 8
B. Haynes 15, 4, 6
K. Hall 14, 3, 1
D. Walsh 12, 3, 5
M. Mercuri 7, 7, 4
J. Winderlich 11, 3, 9
S. Rosa 3, 6, 2
A. Henneman 4, 4, 0
E. Bowen 6, 2, 5
J. Davies 6, 2, 3
J. Laycock 2, 5, 0
C.Johns 6, 1, 2
T. Cartledge 3, 3, 0
S. O’Keefe 1, 4, 1
A. Wilson 2, 0, 0
