After Essendon knocked off reigning premiers Hawthorn in the AFL on Friday night, Bendigo would have been looking to gain a similar result against the VFL premiers.

It was always going to be a big ask though as North Ballarat fielded a very experienced team while Bendigo’s side was very young.

Scott Lucas, Brent Prismall, Darcy Daniher and Michael Hurley were the big inclusions in the Bendigo outfit.

There were no surprises when Lucas went straight to the forward line and throughout the contest he was the key target for the Bombers.

It was North Ballarat’s Grant Bell who got the first goal though with team mate Jacob Spolding grabbing a second one to give the Roosters a flying start.

Bendigo was able to reply when Christian Bock registered a goal after winning a 50 metre penalty that brought him into scoring range. For a five minute period North Ballarat dominated the contest although luckily for the Bombers they could only manage one goal.

John Williams set up Scott Lucas’ first goal with a direct pass that hit the big man 30 metres out straight in front.

Lucas’ second goal was much more impressive, a classic left foot rocket from 50 metres out. Lucas grabbed his third of the quarter not long after that and showed a glimpse of the true form that he has been known for.

North Ballarat ran out the quarter the stronger team, notching up four unanswered goals in the latter stages of the opening term. They held a 28-point lead at the first change.

The Roosters extended their quarter time lead early in the second term. Brett Goodes, Jacob Spolding and Corey Jones shared the opening four goals to leave the Bombers trailing in their wake.

James Bristow had a great game and his efforts in the second quarter in particular were outstanding - he was a shining light for Bendigo in defence and took a couple of strong marks when Ballarat looked certain to score.

Despite having the advantage of the wind, the Bombers struggled to get the ball forward and this meant Scott Lucas’ scoring chances were limited. He went goal-less for the second and third quarters but kept working hard and attacking the footy.

Ballarat’s lead blew out to 43-points by half time and it looked as though they were going to secure a comfortable win.

The contest was ended early in the third quarter. The Roosters outscored Bendigo six goals to one in the third term. Only Blair Holmes was able to score for Bendigo as Ballarat’s experience was starting to show. The Bombers were unable to get the ball forward and when they did the Roosters’ defence was rarely threatened.

Ballarat was able to move the ball forward with ease and put the Bombers under immense pressure for the majority of the quarter. Bendigo’s inability to effectively move the ball cost them. Too often were they caught holding the ball and turn overs were happening everywhere thanks to overuse of the handball.

North Ballarat capitalized on this and pushed their lead out to 75-points by the end of the third quarter.

Bendigo came out hard in the final quarter to try and gain some respect back. They attacked the ball hard and communicated more, the two things they didn’t do in the earlier quarter.

Lucas grabbed his fourth and final major early and Simon Davies managed to grab a consolation goal however Ballarat ran out the game comfortably.

The Roosters kicked the final three goals of the game to run out easy 91-point winners.

Prismall showed why the Bombers made a move for him in the trade week; on his return to football after doing his ACL last year, he collected 12-possessions playing for half of the game.

Despite his limited time on the ground, he displayed great vision and awareness and should be a very handy player at AFL level in the future.

Hurley was another Essendon listed player who played his first game back after a quad injury. He was eased back into the game by only playing one half of the match. He managed to find some touch and showed signs that once fully fit he will be a regular in the Essendon side.

Scott Lucas was restricted with his scoring opportunities due to the lack of supply but played well when the ball did find its way forward. He finished the game with four majors and was one of the only shining lights up forward for Bendigo.

Bendigo will come away from this game with plenty to work on and no doubt will be looking to improve next week when they take on the Williamstown Seagulls at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.