Fresh off the bye, one of the in-form teams of the competition will start a challenging chunk of matches which will determine if they really are flag contenders.

Bonnie Doon has played two matches so far this year, both resounding successes – a 22-point win over Tarrawingee and a 145-point defeat of Benalla All Blacks - but their next seven will be more challenging.

While they are still working into their season, Bonnie Doon coach Marcus Hibberd said he was liking what he had seen from the Bombers already.

“It’s not like we were needing the bye but at the same time we’ve had a long preseason and you roll into your first couple of weeks, so it’s nice for the boys to have a bit of a down week,” he said.

“Our intent and effort has been fantastic, the connection piece is starting to gel, we certainly saw that in the back half of the Benalla game, albeit they were a bit undermanned towards the end of the game but we started to really see the fruits of our labour.

“In round one we had six debutants and in round two we had three debutants, so to have nine new players come through the club in the first two weeks, there was always going to be that piece of when we gel together and how we gel together, and we’re starting to see that come together.”

The Bombers have proved to be in the premiership window more often than not over the last few years, augmenting their already potent side with some handy additions for 2026 which are already proving to be a handful.

“The Benalla game was the first game we’d seen Tom Sheahan and Mitch Forgiarini, they started fantastically,” Hibberd said.

“It was great to see Tom play, he had a massive preseason and only didn’t play in round one because he was away for a wedding interstate, so being able to see him go about it was really good.

“Mitch Forgiarini off half-back really showed his experience, that was really pleasing to see, he’s gelled with the group so well.

“Round one, with a lot of the new guys, it was good to see a returning player in Jackson Sole, he came back and had 40-odd possessions and 25 or 26 of them were contested.

“It’s been pleasing to see the new guys securing their spots, really showing us why we wanted them at the club in the first place.”

Bonnie Doon face some stiff opposition between now and their next bye, set for round 11, including Whorouly, Milawa, Greta and Bright.

It kicks off this weekend when the Bombers welcome Goorambat to the Hangar, who are similarly hoping to get their season started, sitting with a win and a loss to their name.

Hibberd said he was looking to his midfield to set the game up and maintain momentum which had been steadily building throughout preseason and the early stages of the home and away competition.

“We’re going into Goorambat with a mountain of confidence that will then roll us into Whorouly on ANZAC Day,” he said.

“For us, the way we want to play, it starts and finishes in the middle, and being able to control that contested and stoppage game and making sure we’re positive when we look at stoppages and clearances, I think it’s going to go a long way, as long as we can negate their midfield with the likes of Jamie Dunne.

“I don’t want to focus too much on the opposition, I want to make sure we do what we do well, but when you come up against sides with quality players, you also have to have a plan in place.

“We’ll back ourselves in around the ground and ensure we win that midfield battle."

Bonnie Doon hosts Goorambat this weekend, with senior football from 2pm.

Other round four games see Moyhu take on the Lions at Hopperland, King Valley host Benalla All Blacks, Tarrawingee square off with Bright, and the Demons play North Wangaratta.