It’s time.
After one of its most dominant seasons in recent memory, Echuca now has an opportunity to break a 20-year flag drought when it battles Euroa for the Goulburn Valley League premiership this Sunday.
It’s also an opportunity to avenge 2019’s grand final defeat to Kyabram, with COVID-19 putting paid to any chances of redemption since.
“We haven’t had a chance to avenge the 2019 grand final to Kyabram but now we’re back and we’ve learnt from that experience,” Echuca co-coach Simon Maddox said.
“We’re all a bit older, a bit wiser and our kids are a bit older — some of them have played 30 or 50 senior games.
“We’ve had the week off and we’ve had time to prepare, we’ll go in with probably our strongest list for the year.”
Echuca paved a path to the grand final in brutal fashion, brushing past Mansfield and Euroa by 10 goals.
But despite having the better of Scott Rowan’s side comfortably on all three occasions they have played this year, Maddox expects the Pies to come out “full of pepper” as they hope to break a 32-year premiership drought of their own.
“We’ve beaten them a few times and the scoreboard hasn’t reflected what those games are like,” Maddox said.
“They’re a lot closer and harder fought than what the scoreboard shows. We’re one and two in a lot of (statistical) categories.
“(Andrew) Smith and Kane Morris will lock horns again, much like they’ve done over the last few years.
“The midfield will go to war again; I’m sure Euroa will come absolutely full of pepper and ready to go. It will be won and lost in the midfield.
“We’re one game away from the goals we set at the start of the year — they’re in the same boat.”
However you slice it, the clash will be contested by the two standout sides of the GVL.
The Echuca midfield of Andrew Walker, Mitch Wales, and Sam Willoughby will lock horns with the Euroa brigade of former VFL player Jack Hellier, Ben Giobbi, and Nate Stewart.
Euroa’s defenders will need to work hard to contain Echuca spearhead Ruory Kirkby and Angus Byrne, while the Magpies boast the three-pronged attack of Tristan Davies, Erishmiilan Uthayakumar and Jett Trotter who have all combined for 138 goals this season.
Echuca looks set for just one change to the line-up that played in the semi-final win over Euroa, with midfielder Sam Willoughby returning from injury.
He comes in for the suspended Jack McHale after he was dealt a four-week penalty by the GVL tribunal following an incident in the semi-final.
Maddox said it will be disappointing not to see the contested bull, a key member of the flag charge, stride out this weekend.
“He made a split-second decision, whether he made a poor one or didn’t execute properly he’s probably got to live with that and watch his teammates run out in a grand final,” Maddox said.
“He’d give anything to be out there with us, but footy’s made in split-second calls and having coached him he’s one of the fairer players you’ll play with.
“He’ll always shake his man’s hand and he’s the first one to back up his teammates. Talk to any of our boys and they’d love to go to war with him.
“He’s a great guy so it’s really disappointing for him, but we learn from our mistakes and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
“Hopefully he can be there with us on Sunday night in positive scenes. He’ll be a part of it, he’s played as big a part as anyone else.”
As a member of Echuca’s 2002 premiership side — its most recent — Maddox can see similarities between ‘02 and ‘22.
“It’s very similar, 2002 to 2022 in the sense that it’s populated by locals,” he said.
“We didn’t have blokes driving up from Melbourne, we all trained together and we have that good vibe.
“The only guy that isn’t born and bred or works here is Dan Willis but even he’s been driving down the highway and been playing with us the last five or six years and he’s played over 100 games.
“In that regard it’s similar; our reserves are really strong, our thirds are really strong.”
Regardless of the result, the Echuca coach said the club is well set moving forward, but with plenty of experience on the last Sunday in September, Maddox knows what awaits after either ending.
“Whether it’s by one point or a hundred points, one side will be jubilant and celebrating while the other will be lamenting a missed opportunity,” he said.
“Twenty years on, I’d like to think it’s history repeating itself but I think we’re really well-positioned moving forward no matter what the result on Sunday.
“It’s a fickle world footy. Sometimes you’ll be talking about a couple of centimetres either side of a goalpost.
“We’ll give it our best shot and the sun will come up Monday.”
The 2022 GVL senior football grand final is scheduled to commence from 2.40pm at Deakin Reserve this Sunday, September 25, the first decider held since 2019.
Premiership history
Echuca’s last premiership came in 2002, but the Murray Bombers have been in two grand finals since; the 2003 loss to Tatura and the 22-point defeat to Kyabram in 2019.
The Murray Bombers saluted back-to-back flags in ‘01 and ‘02, as well as flags in 1997, 1979 and 1977.
Meanwhile Euroa, competing in its first grand final since 2005, is chasing just its third premiership in the GVL.
The first came in 1971 over Lemnos, the Pies’ first year in the GVL competition. It would be another 19 years before Euroa would taste that success again, this time over Rochester in 1990 decider.