GVL Data | Can Eagles prevent Echuca’s third-quarter rampage?

And by half time it appeared they were on course to do just that, producing an excellent first two quarters to take a four-point lead into the main change.

But what happened next had to seen to be believed.

The forging of Echuca’s reputation as the third quarter kings, the Murray Bombers unleashed on Mansfield, kicking an incredible 10 goals to set up an eventual 68-point win.

So through the power of GVL Data let’s dissect what went down in that fateful 25 minutes at Victoria Park.

When trawling through the numbers behind this third term, the statistic that immediately stands out is contested possessions.

Breaking even in this category in the first half, the Murray Bombers took Mansfield to the cleaners in the aftermath of the main change, winning almost every 50-50 ball to go plus 29 in the third quarter alone.

This contested ball dominance then allowed Echuca to dominate around the clearances, winning 16 to Mansfield’s four, while it also got well on top in the ground ball gets, going a whopping plus 18 for the quarter.

But it wasn’t just around the ball where the Murray Bombers thrived.

Winning so much possession, Echuca punished the Eagles on the outside of the contest, going plus 25 in handball receives, winning the uncontested possession count by 27 and taking six more marks.

With all of these key statistics well in their favour, the Murray Bombers unsurprisingly commanded field position, sending the ball inside 50 on 21 occasions to Mansfield’s two — and were incredibly efficient in attack, scoring on 62 per cent of their entries.

You will not see a better quarter of football than what Echuca produced back in round four, and the challenge for Mansfield coach Chad Owens will be ensuring a similar thing doesn’t happen again.