THE Northern Bombers and Launceston have set up a blockbuster State League round 2 clash at Aurora Stadium on Good Friday after both teams recorded upset wins in their season-openers on Saturday.
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The Bombers came away from their West Park road trip with a victory over last season's runner-up Burnie by 26 points and the Blues overcame the Western Storm to win by 18 at Aurora Stadium.
The two teams will meet under lights at Aurora Stadium on Friday with both keen to continue their winning form and claim the scalp of a cross-town rival early in the season.
Former AFL player Chris Tarrant will line up for the Bombers in his first game of the season as a marquee player adding another attraction to the match.
The Blues gained plenty of positives out of their victory after restricting the Storm to seven goals for the game but coach Scott Stephens said they still had plenty to work on.
``I was pretty proud of the boys and it was pretty courageous and they will gain a lot from that win,'' he said.
``At times they got some run-ons and cut us up on the spread so we will need to work on more of that one-on-one defence and not being drawn to the footy and shutting down their outlet.
``Bart (McCulloch) looked like he might take the game by the scruff of the neck but our boys battled manfully and kept competing in a good effort.''
Stephens said North Launceston would be another big test for his young side.
``They will go into the game like us bruised and battered after playing Burnie and a six-day break but that's what we expect in TSL footy.
``It's going to be interesting out here on the big ground and we expect another fierce contest and will see what comes of it.''
The Blues will monitor Beau Green and Gary Shipton who both received heavy knocks during the game against the Western Storm and Brennan Savage who came off near the end with calf tightness.
Western Storm will look to rebound from its defeat to Launceston but faces a daunting road trip to Lauderdale.
``There's lots to learn with a new group coming together and people probably overestimate us a bit and we've got a lot of young guys playing,'' coach Mitch Hills said.
``It's was a close loss _ we've got a lot to learn and work on during the week and we'll try to bounce back with a win at Lauderdale.''
Devonport plays Burnie in what should be another good contest at Devonport Oval.