Rising tide of

After eight years in the football wilderness Noradjuha-quantong will return to the finals in 2019.

While the club has been competitive for the most part, it has not seen post-season action since a 2011 elimination final loss to Swifts.

So, when coach Gareth Hose took over at the start of the 2018 season, the mandate from club president Tim Kelly and his committee was clear – develop the youth. This season the club’s plans have come to fruition. A rising tide of young talent has lifted the Bombers despite a tough run of injuries in 2019.

Wade Francis, Josh Freeman, Zane Batson, Josiah Mock, Darcy Hogan and Jye Walter have all earned regular spots in the senior team after graduating from the club’s under-17 ranks in the past two seasons, while Zach Kelly and Riley Dunlop have played both senior and under-17 football this year.

Hose said the emergence of so much young talent had driven a strong finish to the season after an up-and-down start.

“In the second half of the year I’ve been noticing a lot more consistency in the way we play and how we’re going about it,” he said.

“The boys have really picked up the way that we set up on the field and the way that we want to move the footy.

“There has been a lot spoken about how we are a young side, but a lot of those young guys this year are getting up to that 20-to-50-game mark with their senior footy.

“They’ve been able to develop a lot more confidence in their ability against good opposition, so they take the game on a little bit more.”

Hose said injuries to some established senior players