A shock 2-0 defeat to Mooroopna in the final Goulburn Valley Hockey Association home and away round failed to knock Echuca-Moama off its finals course.
The River Rats have booked a semi-final showdown against SYC, with the winner progressing to the 2022 grand final against heavyweights Strikers Hockey Club.
The Rats conceded two early goals to the bottom-placed Mooroopna in the final round and, despite gaining the ascendancy of play late in the game, they could not convert their chances.
Despite coming into the semi-final on a three-game losing streak, A-grade player Adam Thompson was confident in his side’s ambition to advance.
“We played alright last week but we failed to convert the opportunities we had,” Thompson said.
SYC has had the better of Echuca-Moama this season, winning three out of four encounters.
They were all narrow victories and the Rats struck back in round 10 with a nail-biting 1-0 win.
Thompson knows what the squad needs to get over the line.
“I think we’re evenly matched, it should be a pretty good game,” he said.
“They’ll try to get us on the rebound and they’re pretty fast out of defence.
“They have some nice strikers that tend to put the ball into the net when they get the chance.
“We’ll be hoping to control the play and not turn it over.
“We want to create chances for ourselves without exposing ourselves in defence.”
Thompson said Echuca-Moama looked poised to take an unchanged line-up into the do-or-die clash.
After failing to field an A-grade squad in recent seasons, the River Rats have returned to the GVHA top flight looking to win their first title in the grade since 2016.
“A few years ago we didn’t have an A-grade side,” Thompson said.
“We dropped back to B-grade and won the championship. That’s when 2020 and 2021 happened.
“They were COVID-disrupted years but the squad this year is one of the best sides we’ve had for a while.
“In previous years it would have been Strikers and SYC playing off in the final.
“Hopefully, we can change that.”
The winner progresses to the grand final against the undefeated Strikers, a club chasing its fourth successive A-grade premiership.
Echuca-Moama and SYC face off at Shepparton Regional Hockey Complex on Saturday, August 27, from 1.45pm.