Lauderdale handed Launceston their first defeat since last season's qualifying final, defeating the Blues 13.12 (90) to 9.8 (62).
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A three-goal first term to Jayden Magro set the tone for the Bombers while Sam Siggins dined on the spoils, kicking five majors - including three crucial ones in the final quarter.
Launceston coach Mitch Thorp praised Lauderdale for their efforts, while sending a message to the competition's doubters.
"Anyone who has taken the easy sort of approach and suggests that the season is over before it started probably should have a look at today's game," he said.
"Lauderdale were great, they were really strong around the footy and Sam Siggins gave us a few headaches in front of the ball, so it's a nice kick up the backside.
"We head into the bye with some work to do and some areas of growth and more than anything it's very healthy for the competition that if you're not at your best, you can be beaten."
After Magro's strong first quarter, the Southern Bombers led by seven points, blowing out the margin to 29 at the main break by keeping the Blues to just one goal.
Assisted by the heavy breeze, Thorp's men showed why they are the reigning premiers and kept Lauderdale to just two behinds to get back within seven points but admitted his side were "never really in the contest" due to the wind being behind the Bombers in the last.
"It was difficult to get ascendancy at stoppage and clearance, Haydn Smith was strong in the ruck and they had some real flow around stoppages," he said.
"It made our defenders have to defend quite quickly and in really vulnerable areas.
"Lauderdale have got a lot of talent on their list and have been in most of their games this year so we were well aware coming in that we were going to have our hands full.
"When you've got Siggins, [Allen] Christensen and [Josh] McGuinness and names like that, it's only a matter of time before you're winning games of footy."
Thorp was still able to take some positives out of the win, with two of his side's younger and least experienced players pleasing him.
Debutant James Leake and second-gamer Aidan O'Connor both kicked two goals, the latter roving classily in the last quarter to put the Blues within eight points.
The coach was also impressed with usual suspects Jobi Harper and Fletcher Seymour but hoped others would step up throughout.
"Jobi and Fletch both won a lot of the footy and tried to grind the game out but we probably just left it to too few, which was probably the disappointing part," he said.
"When we were challenged, we sort of left it to the household names of Harper and Seymour and couldn't quite have enough contributors."
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