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Fierce rivals clash

By Robbo July 07, 2007
From Bendigo Advertiser

THE Metricon Bendigo Bombers are preparing for what coach Matthew Knights has described as their biggest game of the season this Sunday.

Why is it so important? Firstly, the Bombers are playing their arch-rival North Ballarat, and the bottom line is no Bendigo sporting side likes losing to their Goldfields foes.

And secondly, the Bombers simply need to keep winning games of football to hold their position in the VFL's top eight.

After belting Tasmania by 96 points at Bellerive Oval last Saturday, the Bombers have climbed up to seventh on the ladder after 12 rounds.

However, a loss against the Roosters at Stawell this Sunday could relegate the Bombers to as low as 10th on the ladder, such is the evenness of the competition.

'‘We have made significant ground in the past five weeks, but we're still in a very precarious position in that bottom part of the top eight," Knights said yesterday.

‘‘We still have to make every post a winner and I have no doubt this is the biggest game we have played this year.' ‘We are playing against North Ballarat, an arch rival, and they are sitting above us on the ladder.

‘‘Each week becomes fairly huge for us now and every game becomes like a mini-final." Both sides go into this Sunday's clash in terrific form.

Top four all that counts for Bendigo

By Robbo July 07, 2007
From Herald Sun
Reported by Geoff Poulter

THE improving Bendigo Bombers are aiming for a top-four finish despite a slow start to the season.

"We are confident that in the second half of the year we can improve and make a bit of a run at the top group," coach Matthew Knights said.

"I have always had the aim in the VFL that you should be aiming to finish in the top four in a 13-team competition.

"I don't think you are worth your salt as a coach if you are not aiming for the top four.

"If you do achieve that, great, and you aim high. If you don't, then you reassess.

"We have won four of our last five games and dropped the other one against the Casey Scorpions (16 points).

"Our form line in the last month has been significantly better and during that time we have boosted percentage."

Bendigo (five wins) has moved up to seventh but is still two games behind Coburg Tigers (fourth) and North Ballarat (fifth) and half a game behind Port Melbourne (sixth).

Tomorrow's Round 13 game against North Ballarat is at the neutral Stawell venue.

"It is pivotal with North Ballarat sitting in the upper echelon of the ladder," Knights said. "They have strung three consecutive wins together and their form line is pretty decent. It is great to play in a country town to show VFL football, we are looking forward to it."

Devils welcome to Adelaide

By Robbo July 07, 2007
From The Mercury
Reported by James Bresnehan

THE door has been thrown wide open for the Tasmanian Devils to join the SANFL in 2009.

SANFL boss Leigh Whicker said yesterday his league liked the idea of having a team from Tasmania join the Adelaide-based competition to end the bye in the nine-team league.

Whicker said the SANFL would be prepared to meet all the Devils' travel costs and scrap their annual $85,000 VFL licence fee -- an overall saving of more than $330,000.

The South Australians put together an affiliation proposal and presented it to AFL Tasmania two weeks ago.

The SANFL then formed a working committee, which plans to meet with Tasmanian officials this month to discuss the proposition.

The SANFL chief's enthusiasm for Tasmania follows a survey of SANFL clubs that found eight out of nine captains favoured Tasmania joining the competition, and another that showed 79 per cent of SA fans felt the same way.

WA IN PRIME POSITION TO WIN UNDER 18 NATIONALS

By Robbo July 06, 2007
Reported by Michael Robinson

WA are favorites to win their 1st national title since 1999 after today's games at MC Labour Park,Carlton. These games were moved from Skilled Stadium,Geelong due to the poor condition of the surface after yesterday's Division 2 games.

In the 1st game, after an even 1st half WA out played the Victorian Country side kicking 7 goals to 1 to win comfortably by 43 points.

Rhys Palmer was the star for the Sandgropers along with Tayte Pears and David Myers. Ryan Hobbs, Nick Suban and Scott Selwood were the best for the Country boys.

WEST AUST      1.1  2.5  5.9  9.14(68)
VIC COUNTRY  0.3  2.6  2.6  3.7(25)

Goals: WA: Ellard, Morton, Mastern 2, Garlett, Yarran, Palmer Vic Country: Hobbs, McKenna, Bell

Best Players: WA: Palmer, Pears, Myers, Masten, Garlett, Morton, Rich Vic Country: Hobbs, Suban, Selwood, Austin, McEvoy, Hinkley

Devils made to apologise

By Robbo July 01, 2007
From Sunday Tasmanian
Reported by Brett Stubbs

SO ashamed and embarrassed by his team's performance, Devils coach Daryn Cresswell made his senior players front the media to apologise for the side's pitiful display against Bendigo at Bellerive yesterday.

In a season that many thought could not get any worse, the Devils' ineptness and uncompetitiveness plunged to levels not seen by a Tasmanian VFL team before on home soil.

Like naughty schoolboys, captain Scott Stephens, Ken Hall, Paul Koulouriotis and Bard Moran were marched out to try to explain the Devils' 10th consecutive loss.

What made this loss such a disgrace was the positive start in which the home side led by two goals in the second term, before conceding the next 15 without a score and eventually losing by 96 points, 22.13 (145) to 7.7 (49).

"We are embarrassed and sorry for our supporters who came today and paid their good, hard-earned money to watch us dish that shit up," Stephens said.

"Next time we play a home game down here, we will be playing with a spirit and fight for the contest. You have my word on that.

"You can tell by the amount of people we are getting through the gate (2152 at yesterday's game).

"A couple of years back in the Southern Stand there was people everywhere.

"Now they are walking out the gate at half-time because they are embarrassed and we are not doing anything to stand in the way to say `hey, stick around and watch us'."

Blame us, say coaches

By Robbo June 29, 2007
From The Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs

THE Devils' coaches have taken full responsibility for the team's plight -- including its club-record nine straight losses and its last-place standing.

Assistant coach Andrew Mellor said neither he nor head coach Daryn Cresswell would pass the buck.

"Myself and Daryn are not going to hide behind poor form," Mellor said, standing in at yesterday's press conference for Cresswell, who was on the North-West Coast.

"The buck stops with the coaches and we have to keep working just as hard as the players until we come up with the right mix. There is no doubt about it."

But Mellor said the staff members felt no pressure to hold their jobs.

"We have got the full support of the board here at Tassie and everyone knows while we can't accept losing that amount of games on the trot, there have been some circumstances that haven't always favoured us," he said.

"We are just thinking about the rest of this season and winning as many games as we can. We feel the pressure to win just as the players do."

Cats eye Seagulls' top spot

By Robbo June 29, 2007
From Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Michael Auciello

TOP spot on the ladder is up for grabs when Geelong takes on Williamstown in the VFL tomorrow.

The Cats sit in third spot, but a win against the first-placed Seagulls will leapfrog them over Sandringham, which has the bye, back into first place.

The game was originally scheduled as a curtain-raiser to the Geelong-Sydney clash at Skilled Stadium, but was moved to Burbank Oval after the Geelong council decided to protect the surface.

VFL football manager Ben Waller said the shift would provide a great challenge to the Geelong team coming off a week's break.

``We haven't had a great record down at Williamstown and it's a huge game in terms of the VFL so if we can win there, we can win anywhere,'' he said.

``Obviously we're disappointed (to move) but the main thing is the ground (Skilled Stadium) is maintained. We understand when it is quite wet the ground gets turned up a bit.

``The ground copped  a fair bit of rain a couple of weeks ago when we played a curtain-raiser. There's a bit of rain forecast this week, so if we play a curtain-raiser, a TAC Cup game and then the national championships next week, the ground will cop a caning.

Carter’s back for Bendigo Bombers

By Robbo June 28, 2007
From Bendigo Advertiser

NICK Carter will play his first game in more than two months for the Metricon Bendigo Bombers this Saturday.

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.

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