THE Bega Bombers senior Aussie rules squad will get to play its first home game on Friday night.
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The Bombers will take on the Eden Whalers at the Bega Showground on Friday from 7pm.
Senior coach Matt Fleet said the Bega squad is shaping up as the “strongest Bega has ever fielded”.
“Our squad’s looking fantastic,” Fleet said.
A number of the Bombers’ high-profile players will make a welcome return.
“Yeah we’ve got Adam Blacka back, Scotty Hay, [Chris] Dwyer is in, Todd Ingram and Craig Matthews are back in,” Fleet said.
The rugby league regulars are a popular addition to the squad.
“They enjoy a game of Aussie rules, so it’s great news to have those two lads in [tonight].”
After some concerns last week with injuries and a player shortage, Fleet said the squad’s woes are out of the way.
“Yeah they’re gone away, we’re definitely on the up now.
“We’d love to get a win and then we’d be back as strong as ever.”
If training is anything to go by, the numbers game looks solid for the home team.
“Training was really good, we had 30 on the track last night [Wednesday],” Fleet said.
Meanwhile, Fleet said the Whalers will have a few key recruits from Canberra.
“They’ve got four or five coming down from Canberra, so they’ll definitely be out to win.”
Fleet said the Bombers would focus on their own efforts.
“They’ll turn up with who they’ve got.
“We’ll just focus on our own game and not worry too much about them.
“They’ll be very strong and good luck to them really, but we’ll be pulling out all stops to get the four points,” he said.
Fleet said his team was ready and expected a good game.
“I reckon it should be a really good game of football, you have two teams that haven’t won for a long, long time,” Fleet said.
“But I’m very confident of the boys ability to get the four points.
“We’ve just got to stick to our structures and work the rotations.”
Having a full line-up has allowed the Bombers to make some drastic changes across the park.
“It’s a completely revamped team, we’ve got a lot of blokes playing a lot of different positions.
“We think we’ve nailed it on the head, but time will tell, we’ll know by [tonight].”
A highlight of the moves will be Cody Hazelgrove- Danvers playing in the ruck for the Bombers.
“He’s got a bit of fire in his eyes and I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do,” Fleet said.
“He’s a strong kicker from the outset, he’s very mobile and very tough.
“He’ll throw himself in the fray for the team,” he said.
Fleet said a Friday night game will give fans a good spectacle, but leaves the weekend free.
“I think it’s a fantastic concept playing under lights.
“I think the boys love it and I think the crowd loves it,
“You can go down on a Friday night to have a few drinks while watching the game, but you can still have your whole weekend,” he said.
Fleet said he hoped to see a big home crowd at the match.
“We want everyone in Bega to come out and support one of its home sides.
“The crowd could be the deciding factor, those home cheers could be the thing that drives us over the line,” he said.
Entry is $5 and kids get in for free.
Full canteen and bar facilities will be available.
The under 16s game starts at 5.30pm with the senior game to start at 7pm.