The Bendigo Bombers travelled to Burbank Oval in Williamstown to face the second placed Seagulls.
 
Bendigo was looking to avenge the loss Williamstown handed out in Round 7, fielding a young side which also included Essendon veteran Jason Johnson.
 
Both teams were coming off losses in the previous round; Bendigo was beaten by 119 points by Box Hill at the QEO, while Williamstown failed to get past Port Melbourne, losing by 10 points.
 
Former Bendigo Bombers, Jason Cloke and Ben Jolley, lined up against their old club for the second time this season and Western Bulldogs star Scott West was included in a strong Seagull outfit. An area Bendigo needed to address was the ruck, 211 centimetre giant Peter Street lined up for Williamstown and Tom Bellchambers was given the difficult task of trying to contain him.
 
Street was prominent all day, dominating in the ruck and giving West and the other Seagull on-ballers plenty of supply. This allowed them to jump to a 54 point lead at the first break. Patrick Rose was a handful for the Bendigo defence, grabbing five goals for the first quarter, more then half of his team’s total.

Williamstown dominated possession, forcing Bendigo onto the back foot by using the football well. However, when Bendigo did get their hands on the ball they failed to make the most of the opportunities by not using the first option and holding onto the ball too long. This, coupled with a strong Williamstown defence, meant the Bombers failed to make an impact on the scoreboard.

Bendigo had the advantage of the wind in the second quarter and needed to make the most of it, just as the Seagulls had in the opening term. Bellchambers managed to score early to show Williamstown that the team wasn’t going to give up. However, they couldn’t go on with the job, conceding the next four goals, which all but ended the contest.
 
The Bombers attacked the game though and refused to give up. They forced turnovers and created stoppages which halted their opponent’s attacks on the spot. Things weren’t falling Bendigo’s way, Johnny Coghlan brilliantly picked up the crumbs and kicked into an open goal square from forty metres but the ball bounced the wrong way at the last minute. Inaccurate kicking by Bendigo meant Williamstown was able to send the ball forward often and ended up kicking the last four goals of the quarter to extend its quarter time lead by 22 points, and take a 76 point lead into the main break.

A big second half was required from Bendigo to try and overturn the 76 point deficit. The Bombers came out hard, improving both their work ethic and effort. A highlight in the early minutes was a good chase by Shannon Geary who forced the turnover. This endeavour didn’t pay on the scoreboard though, Williamstown out scored Bendigo seven goals to nil. Bendigo didn’t let their heads drop though and attacked each contest with vigour. David Martin’s exceptional chase highlighted this, despite carrying a 204 centimetre frame he chased after his opponent like he was Andrew Lovett. He forced the turnover and showed his team mates that if you are prepared to put in, the rewards will come.

Despite being outplayed in the first half, and trailing by 124 points heading into the final term, the Bombers came out hard at the start of the last quarter. They showed the true ‘never say die’ attitude of Bendigo and attacked the game until the final siren. The team managed to hold Williamstown to just four goals, an admirable effort considering it had conceded seven in the previous quarter. The Bombers played its best quarter of football and despite the lack of scoreboard pressure; the young team gained a lot of experience that can only benefit them.
 
Expect to see some better results in the near future as they look to close their 2008 season in style. Bendigo face Werribee and Coburg in the final two rounds and a win against either of the two could upset their opponents’ finals aspirations.
 
Meanwhile, the Bendigo Reserves season of woe continued against Williamstown.
 
They struggled from the opening bounce and couldn’t keep up with the stronger, faster and more skilled opposition. The Seagulls had a field day, kicking ten goals in the first quarter and then finishing the job, kicking a combined 26 goals in the remaining three quarters.
 
The final margain was a record 239 points and Bendigo could only manage to register two minors while their opposition piled on 36.25.
 
Williamstown now look towards the finals while the Bombers who have struggled to field a full team each week can use the summer break to recruit new players to try and make an improvement on this season.