Echuca’s big Goulburn Valley League semi-final win over Rochester at Kyabram on Saturday featured a host of key contributors put their hands up for player of the week honours.
Eight Murray Bombers and two Tigers all crossed triple-figure ranking-point tallies on a day that, as you would expect, featured a lot of prolific contest work.
For standout Logan Prout, however, it wasn’t about grunt work at the stoppage as much as a relentless defensive presence that saw him rise to the top.
Prout’s day out by the numbers
Intercept possessions: 11
Pressure acts: 7
Rebound 50s: 7
Score involvements: 7
Intercept marks: 4
Put simply, hardly anything was getting by him.
He was never far off it either, notching six inside 50s in addition to his seven rebounds — and his combined total of 13 between those two stats was the most of anyone on the park.
Nine contested possessions never particularly hurt, either — though in a purely literal sense, they can leave some bruises — but again, getting in and under wasn’t necessary in order for Prout to shine.
Echuca is a side which doesn’t typically produce a lot of eye-popping individual stats; rather, the two-time defending premiers tend to follow the old cliche of ‘everyone plays their role’ to the nth degree, and obviously to much success.
Everything came together in total Echuca fashion during the 43-point win over the Tigers, and while it defeats the purpose of this statement to suggest Prout’s efforts were ‘at the forefront’, he was an integral cog.
By far his most prominent stretch of time came in the opening term, racking up seven of his 11 intercept possessions in a dazzling quarter of play that also resulted in five of his seven score involvements as the Murray Bombers made an imposing start.
Prout has played only nine league clashes in green so far in 2024, balancing commitments to Carlton’s VFL side where he has made a dozen appearances, but he has sure enough played in all three meetings with Rochester.
Arguably his most impactful appearance to date was the first time these two sides clashed, when Rochester inflicted the one blemish on Echuca’s record this year, with Prout collecting 27 touches and registering 10 intercept possessions with eight pressure acts.
With the Carlton men done and dusted for the year, Prout figures to be a critical addition to the Murray Bombers’ teamsheet come grand final day at Deakin Reserve.
He boasts the league’s third best average for intercepts per game — albeit with fewer reps than many — and stands as his team’s most potent source for overall pressure and tackles inside defensive 50.