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A calf injury has kept the former skipper out of the Bombers side since the loss to Port Melbourne by 40 points at TEAC Oval on Saturday, April 28.

But after extensive rehabilitation, Carter is set to make his long-awaited return when the Bombers take on Tasmania at Bellerive Oval in round 12 of the VFL this Saturday.

While he hasn't been out on the field, Carter has still had a significant role to play for the Bombers in his absence through his position as assistant coach to Matthew Knights.

'‘What I have been able to learn over the past six or seven weeks sitting in the coaches box has opened my eyes a little to the importance of effort and sticking to the game plan," Carter said yesterday.

‘‘Hopefully, that, and coupled with my fitness, I can perform okay this weekend.

‘‘I think I'm fitter at the moment than at the start of the season, which is a positive." The Bombers will travel to Tasmania still reeling from the disappointment of fading in the last quarter against the Casey Scorpions last Sunday and losing by 16 points, costing them their position in the top eight.

They will take on a Tasmania side that has won just one game for the season - a 30-point victory over the Bombers at Windy Hill in round one.

‘‘We have to go down to Tasmania very focused on playing team footy and sticking to the game plan and taking the game on, which is something we didn't do last week," Carter said.

‘‘We didn't play to our strengths last week, and if we don't hit our targets by hand or foot this week, we could find ourselves in a position of potentially losing a game.

‘‘We have the ability to hit targets all the time, we just have to show we can do it."