The Bombers surprised everyone in 2021 by sneaking into finals on the back of a strong finish. Led by performances from their midfield stars, the emergence of a new crop made them the buzz team last year.
The real challenge now comes with the weight of expectation. An undoubtedly talented list will now look to push on to another level. Last year proved to be the season we saw Darcy Parish establish himself as a superstar of the competition.
His stunning year was capped off by rightly being named in the All-Australian team and a top-five Brownlow finish with 26 votes. With Parish ably aided by the likes of Jake Stringer, Zach Merrett, Jordan Ridley, Andy McGrath and Nick Hind, the core talent is strong.
More exciting perhaps is the young contingent coming through. The likes of Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Harrison Jones announced themselves in 2021 and will look to kick on this year.
While the lack of depth at key positions is a concern, the club will be hoping another year of development will present new options. Having not won a final in over 6000 days, they will be keen to banish that demon once and for all.
Off-Season Moves
Ins: Jake Kelly (Adelaide), Ben Hobbs (pick 13), Alistair Lord (Pick 46), Garrett McDonagh (Pick 50), Patrick Voss (Rookie Draft Pick 9), Tex Wanganeen (SSP), Nick Martin (SSP)
Outs: Patrick Ambrose (Retired), Ned Cahill (Delisted), Marty Gleeson (Delisted), Cale Hooker (Retired), Lachie Johnson (Delisted), Sam McQuillan (Retired), Irving Mosquito (Delisted), David Zaharakis (Delisted)
Breakout Player
Nik Cox
Not much more needs to be said about Cox. There aren't too many 200cm wingmen who could legitimately play most positions on the ground. It's scary how well he moves for his size, while his skill and composure have many earmarking him as a star of the future.
Whether he truly arrives this year or not, he looms as a strong candidate to be the Bombers breakout player in 2022. Having at one stage been favourite for the Rising Star in 2021, he has qualities to stamp himself on the competition.
It must be said, however, that young players can be inconsistent, so expectations should be reasonable. A player of his size and experience is still very much a work in progress, so the rough patch shouldn't be too surprising.
What is beyond doubt however, is that in the coming years he will be one of the most watchable players in the AFL.
