THE Bendigo Dragons will create history when they become the first team to make the transition from Gridiron Victoria's second tier to division one next season.
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The Dragons have been given the go-ahead to join the top division after an impressive debut season.
Bendigo won three games and played a final in 2013, while establishing themselves as a well-supported and organised club off-field.
Coach Robert Hunter, named division two Coach of the Year, said the Dragons wanted to push into the top flight partly to prevent complacency.
"It was clear from our players' feedback that they all felt there was greater growth and enjoyment from getting beaten by the top teams, than beating the Ballarat team again," he said.
"As a club, we felt that the only way we could ever be the number one team would be to step up and learn through experience."
Hunter admitted it's a big step up, but believes the Dragons will be competitive.
"There is always a concern that we have overrated the club, but the greater concern for us was that we would plateau and not improve," he said.
"With GV removing the crossover games between division one and division two, our chances to learn from the best were eliminated.
"We will always be competitive, regardless of the fact that some games will have us being beaten by large scores."
