Football
5 April, 2026
HDFNL 2026 preview: Grand final sting fuelling Bombers
After dominating the 2025 home and away season, the Noradjuha Quantong Bombers senior football side experienced an unfortunate case of deja vu, losing to Harrow Balmoral for the second consecutive year in the grand final.
Despite the heartbreak, coach Damian Cameron said the team has shown it is capable of being a premiership team, but admits the Southern Roos displayed much greater cohesion when it mattered most.
“Making the grand final two years in a row means we're where we want to be, but when it comes to the crunch, we can't quite get the job done,” he said.
“I think last year it stood out in the grand final that we probably didn't operate as well as a team as Harrow did, which is disappointing because we did a lot right during the season.
“Harrow has just done it over and over again, and when times get tough, they just stick tough as a team, and we probably just drifted apart a little bit.”
Rather than move on from the loss, Cameron said he wants his team to use the loss as motivation, encouraged by what he’s seen in the preseason.
“We want it to sit in our head and not forget about it because the harsh reality is, we weren’t good enough to beat them two years in a row,” the coach said.
“It also reiterates knowing what it takes to beat a team like that.
“This preseason is probably as good as we’ve trained over the last few years, and everyone’s primed and ready for another crack at it.”
The Bombers’ squad remains largely unchanged from last year, with Jye Walter being the major exit from the side, while midfielder James Hallett returns after a year away.
Cameron believes Hallett will bolster the squad and is excited by strong offseasons from numerous players.
“To have Hallett back is massive,” he said.
“He puts the jumper on with pride every single time, and he’s been a previous captain, so he knows what it takes, and everyone knows what he’s capable of.
“Jayden Besford has had a massive preseason compared to an injury-interrupted one last year.
“Plus, there’s the likes of Riley Dunlop, who played some great footy last year, and if he takes another step forward, he’s going to be a great player for us.”
The Bombers' coach said in-game consistency will be a key focus area for the side in their premiership push.
“We were probably a little bit inconsistent last year throughout games, more so than game to game,” Cameron said.
“That’s an aspect we can try and get better at as a team moving forward.”