AS THE dust settles on the season that was, the review process begins in earnest - and that includes from our AFL.com.au experts, too.

We look at what worked, what didn't, season highlights, and what your club needs to do ahead of next season.

Check it out.

Where they finished

Eighth (six wins, four losses, one draw 104.7 per cent)

What worked

The Bombers pushed on strongly in the face of injury adversity in 2024. The midfield duo of Georgia Nanscawen and Maddy Prespakis went from strength to strength, dominating around the coalface. The pair combined for 35 votes on W Awards night, ranking third and equal fourth respectively. Former Dee Maddi Gay had an outstanding season which saw her earn All-Australian honours for the first time. Gay averaged 19.9 touches, 4.8 marks and 3.1 tackles and was crucial to stopping opposition attacks, but also rebounding and creating opportunities the other way for the Bombers. Steph Wales was absolutely flying until she hurt her ACL late in the year, while ex-Sun Bess Keaney was also solid. But credit where credit is due to coach Nat Wood, who was able to think on the fly and keep her side pressing forward even when she didn't have all of her personnel at her disposal. Featuring in finals action for a second year running was an impressive result.

What didn't work

The Bombers had a bunch of injuries to contend with in 2024, headlined by co-captain Bonnie Toogood. Toogood went down with a knee injury early in the season, which left a gaping hole in attack for the side. Not only is Toogood one of the best key forwards going around, but she is also invaluable to the side from a leadership perspective. Toogood is a noted goalkicker who is strong in the air, but she is also integral in helping to set up structures for the side. Emily Gough was a player who might have stepped into the role, but she suffered a calf injury of her own early in the season. Amber Clarke had a disrupted campaign, Brooke Brown missed a big chunk of the season and Kodi Jacques, Sophie Van De Heuvel and Mia Van Dyke also spent time on the sidelines. In a huge blow later in the year, the Bombers lost young ruck Steph Wales to an ACL injury which will have enormous ramifications on their 2025 season as well.

Season highlight

With a win-loss record of 1-3 and skipper Toogood on the sidelines, the Bombers' 2024 outlook looked bleak early. But their performance against Melbourne in week five was exactly what they needed to get their campaign back on track. The Bombers were electrifying from start to finish, piling on four first-quarter goals and 11 for the match, while keeping the Dees to just one major for the game. It was a whole team performance, Prespakis and Nanscawen ran riot through the midfield, Georgia Gee and Brooke Walker had solid outings and Georgia Clarke was a force to be reckoned with down back. But it was Daria Bannister who stole the show, booting four goals from 15 disposals in a match-winning performance. The Dees had no answers for a red-hot Bannister, who created plenty of headaches for Melbourne coach Mick Stinear that day. The Bombers won their next three matches to put themselves back in the finals mix, a draw with Richmond and a loss to North Melbourne the only points they dropped on the run home. The Dockers got the better of them in an elimination final, but keep an eye on what the Bombers can produce in 2025.

What they targeted in the player movement period/draft

The Bombers landed ruck Courtney Murphy from the Giants, but they also lost a trio of players during the trade period. Ash Van Loon was traded to the Swans, while young gun Amber Clarke headed to St Kilda in exchange for pick No.8. Forward Paige Scott delisted herself and nominated for the national draft in order to get to Richmond, after the two clubs couldn't broker a deal during the trade period. The positive out of all that though, was the Dons landed some talented youth at the draft. They settled on Eastern Ranges midfielder/forward Grace Belloni at pick No.9, and took Northern Knights hard-running midfielder Holly Ridewood with pick No.12. Belloni is strong overhead and grew her midfield game this year, while Ridewood will add another dimension to the midfield mix. With their two picks in the 30s, Essendon opted for West Australian Taya Chambers and midfielder Sophie Strong.