On an overcast day at Deakin Reserve, the season finale is finally here for the Goulburn Valley League. A sea of colours flocks through the entrance as the smell of snags and breakie rolls fills the grand final day air.
Nerves and anticipation run rampant around the grounds, as each spectator rides each kick, pass and goal for their club. The voices are loud, the streamers colourful, it’s time to get this party started.
The sea of Echuca’s green and white is a dominant one, with five grand final opportunities throughout the day. “We’re all here, and ready to be loud and proud” a Bomber fan said. “We’re very lucky to be in as many games as we are the biggest day of the year, so we’ll make sure all the guys and girls can hear us.”
The football ground fills at each break, kids packing the spaces with endless games of kick to kick, while the huddles surrounding each team and their address is the biggest of the season. Club pride is at an all-time high on grand final day, with almost each and every spectator proudly displaying their club’s gear and logo across their chest.
Cheers and jeers are heard from all around the netball courts. Each tipped pass, each loose ball save, and every netted goal is met with the loudest of applause. As the old saying goes, all is war in love and war, and there’s no love lost on the last day of the year.
You’ve got to be tough to compete on a netball court on any day, but only the toughest survive on this particular day. “When you make it this far, you do anything you can to win,” a proud Mooroopna fan said. “To win on a day like today, you’ve got to get stuck into it and leave it all on the court.”
As the final siren echoes across Deakin Reserve, cheers erupt from the winning camps, while others are left to ponder what might have been. Tears flow, both of joy and heartbreak, as medals are handed out and trophies raised high.
It’s a day where dreams are made and hearts broken, but above all, a day that every player and fan will remember. Because here, on grand final day, victory and defeat are only part of the story. The real triumph is in being part of the legacy, the memories, and the community that makes the Goulburn Valley League special.