THE Bendigo Bank Bombers yesterday enjoyed a victorious homecoming to the Queen Elizabeth Oval, beating Port Melbourne by 49 points in their round two VFL clash.

Yesterday’s game was the Bombers’ first VFL match at the QEO since May 24, last year, with Bendigo kicking away from Port Melbourne to win 16.13 (109) to 8.12 (60) in front of a good-sized crowd.
 
 
With the victory, the Bombers snapped a 25-game losing streak that stretched back to July 13, 2008, and they now find themselves in sixth position on the ladder.

It was an impressive performance considering Port Melbourne was preliminary finalists last year, and grand finalists in 2008.

The Borough had also won its first game of the season last week against AFL club-in-waiting the Gold Coast.

“This is really important for the players; they obviously had the results they had last year, so just to get that first win on the board and some confidence is the most pleasing aspect of it,’’ Bombers coach Shannon Grant said.

“And we didn’t just win, I thought we played well and made sure we ran out the game and didn’t lie down at the end, so it was a pleasing result.’’

 
The game was far from a spectacle in the first half as both sides turned the ball over and wasted chances up forward.

Port Melbourne led by one point at half-time, 5.7 to 5.6, before the Bombers seized control in the third term, kicking 7.3 to 2.2 to take a 30-point advantage into the final quarter.

“We were a little bit off with our touch in that first half and we weren’t hitting as many targets as we would have liked,’’ Grant said.

“But I thought once we got going we were a bit more consistent with our ball use and we really started to gel together well.’’

Before yesterday, the Bombers’ last win had been in round 14, 2008, when they beat the Northern Bullants by 32 points at the QEO.
 

The only players who were part of both that win over the Bullants and yesterday’s triumph were captain James Flaherty, best-on-ground Hayden Skipworth, Jarrod Atkinson and Stewart Crameri.

The Bombers now turn their attention to trying to string together two wins in a row when they take on Collingwood at Victoria Park this Saturday.

“We’ve got a six-day turnaround, so we’ve got to make sure we look after the guys during the week and make sure they come out and give it a decent crack next Saturday,’’ Grant said.
 
This article appears courtsey of The Bendigo Advertisor
 
Fan Update: Watch the Essendon squad train for 45mins at 10am Saturday, 24th April at Windy Hill in the lead-up to Sunday's big ANZAC Day blockbuster.
There will also be an opportunity to purchase the latest Essendon merchandise, visit the Hall of Fame or sign up as a 2010 member.