'Massive relief' for co-captain Bennett as he reaches 100-game milestone

The co-captain is one of three Bombers reaching milestones on Saturday, running out for his 100^th senior game as his side take on Lauderdale at UTAS Stadium.

The 24-year-old has a strong desire to keep improving his football, something he feels taking on the captaincy alongside Alex Lee has achieved.

"I've been able to be that bloke who can lead by example but I also want to be vocal and instructive on the ground with my teammates, building relationships with the players and so forth," he said.

"I feel like it's been really rewarding in that aspect."

The rewards have come thick and fast for Bennett, named in his first Tasmanian representative squad last week and making the TSL team of the year back in 2022.

Joining the Bombers in 2017 and debuting in the same year, he played two games of seniors having come across from junior club East Launceston.

The former Scotch Oakburn College student missed out on selection in the 2018 grand final, squeezed out of the line-up by the returning Tom Couch after playing in the semi-final a fortnight earlier.

That made the 2019 premiership so much sweeter for the teacher's assistant.

"Tasting that success in 2019 was really rewarding and it's something that I can look back on when I finish up with footy and I can be really proud of winning a premiership," he said.

"Especially considering some of the boys that I managed to play in a winning flag with, the likes of Brad [Cox-Goodyer], Taylor [Whitford], Josh Ponting, Alex Lee, Jack Avent, Jay Foon - those sorts of guys."

It's that success that has motivated him and the playing group to do it again in 2024.

The Bombers come into Saturday's match-up undefeated, having beaten every team in the first block of games and cross-town rivals Launceston twice.

"That's one of the themes within our team this year, that we want to go out on a massive high and leave no stone unturned," he said.

"We really want to send a message that North Launceston will continue to be a strong club no matter what league we are playing in moving forward."

Coach Adrian Smith was full of praise for Bennett, who he described as a fantastic leader.

"He's just in that age bracket where he's got a really mature head on his shoulders and he goes about his work in a really professional way and sets really good standards for the group," Smith said.

"But he's also got quite a good sense of humour, he's quite funny and relates well to the players with some of the antics that he gets up to."

Smith said that Bennett was often "first in the door and first to message about ideas" and is proud to see his growth over the years - having been at the Bombers for the defender's 100 games.

"The more he understands the game plan and the coaching, the more he's been able to improve his game of footy," he said.

"He has a really good strong football IQ and in more recent times, we've entrusted him to understand and coach and lead, which has worked hand in hand with his footy.

"That improvement on-field, particularly around the leadership aspect and knowing the roles is something that we find very valuable."