TOM Lonergan will complete his courageous comeback when he runs out with Geelong's VFL team on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was yesterday given the final all-clear from Cats' medicos after a life-threatening injury late last season.

Lonergan was playing just his seventh senior game against Melbourne in round 21 when he backed into a pack, resulting in internal bleeding and the eventual removal of a kidney.

He spent five days in an induced coma and lost 16kg, before making the decision to play on. He was delisted by the club at the end of last season but re-drafted as a rookie.

Coach Mark Thompson yesterday paid tribute to Lonergan's courage, saying it would provide extra motivation to his teammates this weekend.

``Everyone's very proud of what he's done and they're really happy to have him around here,'' he said.

``They think it's a gutsy effort to want to play and to force his way back to the level of fitness to be able to take the field this week. It is a sensational effort.

``I'm not sure once the game starts whether it'll have much effect but I think in the lead-up (it will).''

Thompson said he did not have  an opinion one way or the other whether Lonergan would make it back, but said the defender  had a lot of family and friends rally around him since the incident.

While the seniors sit top of the ladder and are firming for AFL flag favouritism, the Cats' VFL affiliate is travelling just as smoothly.

After nine rounds. Geelong sits second behind powerhouse Sandringham, although the Cats are coming off a loss last weekend to Werribee.

The Devils' Origin defeat at the hands of Queensland will no doubt further erode confidence in Daryn Cresswell's men, who will need to be on song to return to the winners' list.

In their favour is a decent record at Skilled Stadium, where the Devils won in 2005 and went down by a kick last season.

A former assistant coach at Geelong, Cresswell will be passing on vital inside information as his players prepare to tackle a side which last week contained 20 AFL listed players.

"We just need to come up with tactics in terms of playing against AFL-listed players," Cresswell said.

"We have to pick a side able to run, the ground is similar to Aurora Stadium and we will go into the game with a side we think can cover the ground and play good hard competitive footy."

SANFL clubs have encouraged the league to "investigate" the prospect of inviting the Tassie Devils to join the SA competition in 2009.

The push is gaining momentum on both sides of Bass Strait with the SANFL sending "preliminary" costings of fielding a team in the country's best state league to AFL-Tasmania.

There is yet to be a formal meeting between the state league boards although AFL-Tasmania GM Scott Wade visited West Lakes for informal talks recently.

The Devils - affiliated with the VFL for eight seasons and aligned to the Kangaroos - won't make a move in deciding their future until the findings of the AFL's review of Victorian football is released, probably at the end of this season.

Wade said his league was "very interested" in considering joining the SANFL, depending on how the AFL review impacted on Tasmania. He said a move would have to be financially sustainable.

"If we are going to do this, we wouldn't be doing it for five minutes, we'd be there forever," he said.

VFL general manager Peter Schwab says the Devils are "very much" wanted in Victoria. But the AFL clubs would have huge input to the findings which are supposed to regenerate football at all levels in Victoria.

After trailing by five points at the midway mark of the third quarter, Bendigo dominated from there on.

The hundreds of fans at the traditional Queen's Birthday holiday weekend clash included Essendon captain Matthew Lloyd.

On-field it was a spin out of a tackle by Bendigo captain Simon Rosa to snap a right-foot goal at the 17-minute mark of the third term that put the red and black back in front.

In a matter of minutes the lead was 21 points after Grant Weeks was on the end of a Chris Heffernan pass, Kepler Bradley was free in a marking contest.

A crucial target in the Bombers' attack, Bradley then passed to an unguarded Kyle Reimers in the goalsquare to complete the hat-trick of goals.

The Bombers' turnaround could be attributed to many factors, but one of the most telling was Lachlan McKinnon's tap-outs at the centre bounces.

Bombers' team-mates Ricky Dyson, Heffernan, Jay Nash, Sam Lonergan and Adam Ramanauskas continually put the ball inside the 50 m arc.

When Box Hill did go forward they often found Courtney Johns, Andrew Lee and Richard Cole in the way.

Brown, returning after complications to a broken leg, had 12 disposals and kicked two goals in about 60 minutes of game time at Coburg City Oval. He was rested for the last quarter.

He looked lively and used the ball well but is expected to line up again with Coburg in Round 10 on Sunday against Frankston.

"To step up after last week (50 minutes in Coburg reserves) was good," Brown said.

"I slipped over a couple of times but I was pretty happy with it.

"I'm not sure what the program is. I will speak to the coach and fitness staff and see what they think."

INACCURATE kicking and a lack of accountability have cost the Cats a chance to consolidate top position on the VFL ladder after a 15-point loss to Werribee on Saturday.

The Tigers have been in outstanding form, claiming their fourth consecutive scalp. Their previous three victories came at an average of 96 points.

``The VFL competition is very even, and every week is different due to the alignments and injuries teams have,'' Cats coach Leigh Tudor said post-match.

Bulldog veteran Chris Grant played his first reserves game for 14 years and, along with AFL teammates Jordon McMahon, Sam Power and Will Minson, provided a great deal of experience for Werribee. Small forward and ex-Cat Matthew Robbins was prominent, kicking 4.4 for the day and applying great forward line pressure.

Geelong registered three of the first four goals for the game, but it was Werribee which played the superior football from then onwards, entering its  forward 50 16 times to nine for the quarter.

The Tigers also doubled the Cats' tackle count throughout the game, displaying a stronger desire to win the contested ball around the ground.

A lack of forward line pressure and accountability through the midfield from Geelong saw the Tigers slam on five unanswered majors to lead at the first break by 20 points.

IT has taken almost half-a-season, but Metricon Bendigo Bombers coach Matthew Knights is now starting to feel a real sense of unity and cohesion within his team.

After a frustrating start to the season when the Bombers won just one of their first six games, Bendigo has now strung two victories together on the trot.

The Bombers will chase their third win in succession today when they host the Box Hill Hawks at the Queen Elizabeth Oval in what is now their traditional Queen's Birthday match.

Should Bendigo beat the Hawks, the Bombers can move to as high as sixth on the ladder after nine rounds.

"If we play to the same level in regards to our structures and the way we took the game on against Coburg last week, we're confident we will do well," Knights said.

"The boys have got a taste or it now, and probably the best thing that has happened over the past month is we have balanced our side out.

"Simon Rosa, James Flaherty and Courtney Johns have now played three or four weeks together down back.

FRANKSTON put an end to its three-game losing streak in impressive fashion, beating 2006 minor premiers the Northern Bullants by 13 points.

The final margin flattered the Bullants, after the Dolphins dominated the first three quarters and led by seven goals early in the final term before fading.

A perfect blend of towering size and crafty speed powered the Dolphins for the first three quarters.

While 200-centimetre pair Ashley Eames and Daniel Clarke dominated the aerial contests, the lightning Frankston attack of Ricky Morris ( four goals), Justin Berry (three) and Tory Dickson ( two) were simply too dynamic for the Bullants' defence. The undersized forward line worked beautifully, with local knowledge coming into play as the Frankston forwards continually drilled goals from long distance and almost any angle.

The Bullants are badly missing gun centre half-forward Digby Morrell, who has been sidelined since round six with broken ribs. Despite solid efforts from Josh Kennedy and Paul Colbert ( five goals), they are struggling to kick big scores without their first-choice forward.