A lot of faith has been shown in the football ability of Ben Haynes this year. For weeks he was picked in the senior side only to withdraw late because of a recurring thigh injury. Now he is back and providing the midfield with that polish that has been lacking in recent weeks.

Haynes has been back in the seniors for the past two games. He is slowly regaining that much need match fitness. His performance in the Round 13 match against Melbourne was one of the main positives to come out of the 26-point defeat. He didn’t have any problems handling the wet conditions and similar to last year proved that he can be damaging by hand and foot. He collected 20 possessions and booted one goal.

We asked assistant coach Dean Wallis to speak about the importance of Haynes in the Bomber line-up for the remainder of the season.

Q. Is Haynes a player who can make an impression in the second half of the season?
A. As you would have seen in the last two games, his quality of possession and use of the ball in hitting our leading forwards has been very good. This will be important if we are to kick winning scores.

Q. What attributes of his game can help the club challenge for a top four position?
A. His smarts around the contest and being another on-ball option will be invaluable in the next nine rounds. We will be looking for him to take this form into the finals as well.

Q. Why were the coaches so keen to get him back in the side after his injury?
A. Just the way he uses the ball, he is very Glen Hawker like, always finding targets and is just very dangerous around the goals.

Sam Hunt
It has been a long time between drinks for Sam Hunt. It is two years since he made his debut and the 21-year old has struggled to break back into the senior side.

Hunt has predominantly been playing at full-back for Bendigo this season, but he has also spent time in other key positions. His form has been consistently good yet he still hasn’t been able to secure a senior berth.

Assistant Coach Dean Wallis speaks candidly about where Hunt is and what he needs to do to make an impact after the break.

Q. Is Hunt a player who can make an impression in the second half of the season?
A. Sam Hunt’s consistency over the last two months in the VFL has probably been the best since he has been at the football club. He has played numerous roles, playing anywhere from the wing to centre halfback and full back. He has had some very consistent form, which is very encouraging for Sam and the coaching staff.

Q. What attributes of his game can help the club challenge for a top four position?
A. His role coming into the senior side would be very similar to what he does in the VFL. We would more than likely use him as another tall in the backline.

He was very close to selection in Round 13 after we suffered injuries to Dustin Fletcher and Sean Wellman but we opted to go with Aaron Henneman and Kepler Bradley has replacements.

Q. He has not played a senior game for two years (three games in 2002), is this make or break time for him?
A. It’s time for Sam to take the next step. There is no doubt about that and even Sam is fully aware of that. I think that is why he has taken the next step in his VFL football because he realises that time is running out.

He is just waiting for his opportunity to come and I know that he will try to perform to a level so he can try to hold his spot.