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)
Prediction
It's hard to see the Dons taking a big step back, they're too talented for that. Their midfield is as strong as any, while they are efficient ball users coming out of defence and boast one of the best young intercept defenders in the game in Jordan Ridley.
However, a tougher fixture combined with a young team can lead to some inconsistent performances. Adding in the lack of a genuine key forward, it's tough to get a gauge on how well they'll score in 2022.
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Any prediction is fraught with danger and the Dons are every chance to play Finals. However, the competition for those final couple of spots in the eight is fierce, the Bombers will need to improve again to be up to the challenge.
Predicted Position: 10th
