How do you stop Echuca?
It is a question that every team in Goulburn Valley League is currently asking and one that no side has yet found the answer to.
In fact, the team that can solve that puzzle could well be the one that goes on to win the premiership.
Two sides have come close to cracking the Murray Bombers code this year – well, sort of.
Shepparton and Tatura might have lost to the bottle greens, but they managed to do something impressive, something almost unheard of in recent times – they held Echuca goalless for a quarter.
The Bulldogs accomplished the feat in round one when they outscored Echuca 2.0 to 0.3 in the third quarter, while the Bears held the reigning premier to two behinds in the second term at Deakin Reserve on Saturday.
To outscore Echuca in a quarter is a rare feat, let alone going on to hold it goalless all together – just look at the stats.
Echuca outscored its opponents in 78 per cent of quarters played in 2022, and this year it is running at an even better clip – 85 per cent.
Only on one occasion last year did the Murray Bombers fail to register a major – against Kyabram in round two – but now it has happened for the second time in as many months.
Looking back at the weekend, how was Shepparton able to do it?
What was the key?
Let’s see what GVL Data tells us.
Crucially, the Bears were able to win in a number of key areas in the second term, compared to how they performed in the rest of the game.
Shepparton was plus eight in disposals – the only quarter in which it had more possessions than Echuca – and its plus seven differential in hard ball gets was its highest mark for the game.
The Bears had 16 hit-outs too (plus nine differential), the highest differential and the most they had in any quarter as well.
The Murray Bombers had plenty of opportunities to score with 12 inside 50s, but crucially Shepparton was able to withstand and repel the attacks with 12 rebound 50s for the quarter – the most it had all game.
Shepparton’s strong second term
Total disposals: 83 (+8)
Rebound 50s: 12 (+6)
Hard ball gets: 17 (+7)
Hit-outs: 16 (+9)
Free kicks 8 (+7)
Interestingly, the Bears were outperformed by the Murray Bombers in clearances, marks, pressure acts and total inside 50s, but they were still able to match Echuca on the scoreboard with both teams kicking 0.2.
Some ill discipline from Echuca also gave Shepparton a boost, with the bottle greens giving away eight free kicks to one.
Almost all of those whistles were Echuca’s own fault, as it had one high tackle, one push in the back, one holding the man and two kicks out on the full, with two holding the ball penalties.
So is that the answer then?
Have more hit-outs, win the hard ball, get hands on the Sherrin more often, defend well and hope the Murray Bombers give away a bunch of undisciplined free kicks?
It sounds so simple when you put it like that, but clearly it is easier said than done.