The 38-point loss to the Box Hill Hawks keeps Bendigo on the bottom of the ladder and secures them the wooden spoon.

 

Again the story of the game was the Bombers’ inability to run out the full four quarters and despite being highly competitive in the early stages of the game, a poor final term proved very costly.

 

The wet and windy conditions made the ball slippery and both teams struggled to make clean passages of play for much of the day.

 

Bendigo didn’t seem to be too affected by this in the opening quarter, racing out of the blocks with five of the first seven goals scored, including three to Steven Stroobants who looked dangerous up forward.

 

The Bombers’ pressure and intensity was impressive which meant they dominated the Hawks all over the ground. Heath Hocking, who was omitted from the Essendon line-up, showed good endeavor and attacked every contest with the intention of winning the ball.

 

Tyson Slattery was another who had a good first quarter. He provided Bendigo with plenty of run from defence and was an imposing presence along the half-back line.

 

The Bombers held a well deserved 22-point lead at the first term break.

 

A poor second quarter by Bendigo let Box Hill back into the contest. Instead of consolidating their early lead, the Bombers watched on as the Hawks piled on seven unanswered goals to take the lead by half time.

 

The amount of free kicks the Bombers gave away combined with some poor disposal was the reason for Box Hill’s dominance.

 

Hocking had an injury scare during the second term, however was able to return to the ground. However it didn’t affect his impact on the game, by half time he had collected 11 possessions and applied numerous tackles. Hocking, along with Hayden Skipworth, who had 16 touches and six hard ball gets, were the leading lights in the Bendigo side.

 

Despite their hard work, the Hawks had secured a 10-point advantage at the main break.

 

Both teams fought hard for the honours in the third quarter however it was impossible to split them. Rain started falling for periods during the term and made the game very scrappy.

 

Cale Hooker and Christian Bock were kept very busy in the ruck, as there were a lot of stoppages due to the ball being held up in play. Both played well, in particular Hooker who played all over the ground and had an impact wherever he went. Bock was pushed around a bit due to his light frame, however he showed signs that he will be player who will improve if given the chance.

 

As the siren sounded to end the third quarter Bendigo trailed by just thirteen points, a margin they could overcome if they played as well as they did in the first quarter. Daniher was one of the best of the quarter with two goals while Slattery also played well.

 

The final quarter was disappointing with the Bombers managing just one goal, while Box Hill scored four to secure the win. Bendigo looked tired and lethargic and after a couple of Hawk goals the heads started to drop.

 

The 38-point deficit doesn’t do justice to the way the Bombers attacked the game in the first three quarters.

 

Skipworth had an outstanding day and was the reason the Bombers were in the game for so long. He was best on ground for Bendigo with 25-possessions and proved to be the dominant player in the midfield.

 

Hocking was also in great form with 22-possessions and 11 tackles; he won plenty of the loose balls for Bendigo and never dropped his intensity.

 

Hooker was also impressive taking on the primary ruck duties for his side. He had a multitude of tasks but was able to handle it with ease, sharing the load with young Bock.

 

Other major ball winners were, Tom German (18 touches) and David Zaharakis who finished with 15 disposals despite sitting out the second half of the game with groin soreness.

 

Coming off five goals last week, Daniher managed to score three majors, putting in another good performance. He constantly attacked the ball hard and showed he has the potential to develop into a key position player for Essendon.

 

 

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