Echuca is off to the big dance.
The Murray Bombers will face Nathalia in the Northern Country Women’s League grand final at Princess Park this Sunday after an emphatic preliminary final win over Shepparton United.
Echuca kept its unbeaten run alive with a 75-point win over the Demons in the penultimate game of the season at Tatura Park, booking a 2021 grand final rematch with the Purples.
The minor premier kept United goalless in the first half — after a cagey first quarter the Murray Bombers flipped the switch in the second quarter with five goals to United’s no score.
A four-goal-to-one third quarter sealed the Demons’ fate, and Echuca ran away a comfortable 12.12 (84) to 1.2 (8) victor.
Paige Baksh kicked four goals, supported by Sophie Douglas with two, and skipper Jacquie James led the midfield battle.
Despite the lopsided result, Echuca coach Damian Dalziel said it was a tense first half.
“We had the bye the week prior, so we were a little bit sluggish to get out of the blocks,” Dalziel said.
“Once we got going and started playing our footy, things just started to click.
“We never had it our own way all day; Shepp United made it physical and fairly fast-paced.
“It took us a couple of quarters to get on top and halfway through the second quarter I felt like we had the game under control.
“That’s what we’ve done all year; there hasn’t been one player that’s just blown opposition out of the water.
“Hopefully this weekend, the same thing can transpire and across the board everyone plays their role — that’s all we can ask for.”
Echuca is now into its third grand final in a row and its second straight against Nathalia.
But the Murray Bombers will be hoping for better fortunes this time around.
Echuca fell to Mooroopna by 18 points in the 2019 decider, before conceding its first game of the 2021 season in a shock 35-point grand final defeat to the Purples.
However, with a new-look squad and an unbeaten lead-in to this Sunday’s grand final, there’s a feeling that this may be Echuca’s year to lift its maiden NCWL premiership.
“A lot of (the team) don’t know the history of playing Nathalia in years prior because they’re new to footy this year,” Dalziel said.
“The buzz is there, obviously. I said to the players, these are huge opportunities playing in a football grand final.
“It’s a great effort to get there, and we’ve been lucky enough to reach three in a row.”
The support is coming in fast for Echuca’s senior women’s side as grand final week gets under way, with a strong Murray Bombers contingent expected at Princess Park.
“Momentum’s building in Echuca; there’s buses running over to Shepparton, which is great,” Dalziel said.
“It’s good to see the support is building up.”
Nathalia goes into the grand final in good form after accounting for Benalla by 52 points on the back of a seven-goal haul to Abby Favaro.