Bendigo Bombers will this week aim to make it three wins in a row when they take on North Ballarat at Windy Hill in their first game at Essendon’s home - Windy Hill - since the Round 1 win against Tasmania.

Bendigo easily accounted for Geelong, the reigning VFL Premiers, at Queen Elizabeth Oval last weekend and now sits out of the top eight only on percentage after being too good for Box Hill the week before.

The win against Geelong suggests the season has begun to turn around for Bendigo who had only two wins after eight rounds and coach, Adrian Hickmott, said the weekend’s performance was particularly pleasing.

“Our guys are really getting to know the movements of each other. Our backline is settled now. Our midfield are slowly starting to get settled down, there are still a couple of changes every week from the seniors but they are all understanding each other and our forward line are working better in their delivery,” Hickmott said.

“The most pleasing thing to take out of the game was that we were two goals up ten minutes into the fourth quarter and went away with it and we haven’t done that for a long time,” he said.

Cale Hooker has been one of the best performed youngsters in the last two victories and, despite his light frame, is providing a strong marking target and was Bendigo’s leading goal kicker last week, booting four majors in the crucial game against Geelong.

Hickmott has been heavily involved with Hooker’s development since he joined the club and says he has enjoyed watching his progress in the first half of the season.

“He had his tonsils out and then struggled with illness, so he has done well to come back now and keep maturing and taking marks, he took 12 marks last week, his work rate was fantastic and he is starting to put on a bit of body shape,” Hickmott said.

19 year-old Hooker was recruited from East Perth and taken by Essendon at pick 54 in last year's National Draft.

Since the competition bye two weeks ago Bendigo has played it’s best footy for the year but will this week face a much tougher opponent in North Ballarat, who are third on the ladder and Hickmott says he is looking forward to the challenge.

“We went with them last time until three-quarter time and then they kicked away in the last quarter. So I’m hoping we lift it up to them and it’s at Windy Hill, which is a smaller ground and one we train at so that’s an advantage from our point of view,” he said.

North Ballarat made light work of Bendigo when the two sides met in Round 2 this season running out victors by 52 points, but Hickmott believes his side has improved a great deal since the early season encounter.

“Our cohesion was no where near where it is now and we’ve been working on delivering the ball into each other because we understand where each others going to go whereas before we just didn’t know,” Hickmott said.