Ben Haynes finally returned to the football field last weekend after an extended period on the sidelines. Haynes missed the first 10 weeks of the season with an ongoing quadricep injury. The former Richmond player first injured his thigh in a practice match against Sydney in Newcastle in mid March and then re-aggravated the injury in April.

Haynes’ season to date has nearly mirrored the events of 2003. The 22-year-old missed the first half of last season with a dislocated shoulder after injuring himself in a pre-season practice match against St.Kilda last year. Haynes returned after the bye and was rewarded with a spot on the senior list after being in outstanding form for Bendigo.

If the trend continues, Haynes might be referred to as the second half of the season specialist. ""That is what Sheeds said to me the other day. Hopefully it doesn’t take me too long to get back into the seniors and then when I do get back in, I can play good footy,"" Haynes said earlier today.

Haynes fast made a name for himself last season as a ball magnet. After being elevated from the rookie list, he played seven senior games in 2003 and kicked five goals.

In his return match for Bendigo last Sunday he rotated between half-forward and on the ball. He collected 26 possessions and was close to best on ground. ""It was awesome to be back out there. I was rapt to get a couple of kicks and be playing again,"" he said. Despite his impressive first up performance, Haynes said he still has a lot of work to do on his fitness.

""It is okay, but it not where I would like it to be. Considering I have had 10 weeks off I suppose it is not too bad. I had a really good first half but faded out as the game went on. I will be better for the run though.""

Haynes said Bendigo was unlucky not to come away with the four points against Sandringham on the weekend. They had their opportunities in the last quarter but ended up going down by 12-points. ""We have shown that we can mix it with the top three to four sides on the ladder, but we have just fallen over at the last minute. We just need to string together four quarters of footy,"" Haynes said.

Sandringham (114) d Bendigo (102) at Sandringham on Sunday, June 6th.

Bendigo Bomber statistics:
Haynes – 26
Dyson – 24
Bullen – 22
Doering – 19
Bradley – 17
Hunt – 16
Lovett – 16
Stanton – 15
Carter – 14
Moorcroft – 14
Richards – 14
Nash – 11
Cupido – 10
Campbell – 9
Walsh – 9
Wilson – 9
Cosgriff – 8
Laycock – 6
Rosa – 3
Bowen – 2
Hawkins – 2
Robins – 1

This week:
Bendigo v Williamstown
Date: Sunday, June 13th
Time: 2pm
Venue: QE Oval