Mark Mercuri couldn’t wipe the smile from his face in the rooms after the Bombers six-point victory against West Coast. And the Bomber veteran had every reason to smile. He played a big part in the team’s nail biting victory and it was a fitting way to celebrate his 200th game.

Mercuri returned to familiar territory for his milestone game and got off to a flier. He booted two goals in the first term and helped set up the Bombers’ eight goals straight start.

""The positional move with Mercuri up forward seemed to upset the Eagles in the first quarter and really worked in our favour,"" ruck coach Simon Madden said.

""Mercs gave us run and provided another marking target other than Matthew Lloyd. He definitely helped set us up early and you can’t beat having that kind of experience down there.""

Mercuri finished with three goals for the game and 17 touches in clearly his best performance for sometime.

""He is a very happy man tonight and delighted with the win. It was a very important win and to have such a great win to mark this 200-game milestone is even better for Mercs,"" Madden said after the game.