Echuca has claimed a convincing win against finals dark horse Rochester to earn a week off and secure the first Goulburn Valley League grand final spot for 2024.
Was it ever really in doubt?
The Murray Bombers have been a dominant force in the GVL in the past few years and are now staring down the barrel of a three-peat, which hasn’t been done since Seymour between 2005 and 2007.
Echuca and Rochester can’t seem to stay away from each other. This was the third time the arch-rivals have met in 2024. A grand final showdown is possible if the Tigers prevail in the preliminary final next week.
The Murray Bombers have been slow to start in their games in the back end of the season, but a scare against flag threats Shepparton Bears last week forced Echuca to flip the script in the semi-final.
The men in green started hot, drilling five majors in the opening quarter to get the ball rolling. However, the Tigers sunk their teeth in, bagging a trio of maximums to remain in the contest, trailing by 17 at the first break.
Echuca continued its attacking forcefulness in the second period. Cooper Barber was on song, kicking two of the four Murray Bombers goals for the quarter with cameos from Cooper Willoughby and Ben Reid.
Meanwhile, Rochester faltered on its attacking end, managing only one kick through the middle sticks and settling for five behinds. The difference was 33 points at half-time.
Once the Murray Bombers start rolling, they’re almost impossible to stop. Their forwards and mids had a field day in the third term, booting 5.4 to essentially wave off their rivals early at Kyabram Recreation Reserve.
Rochester struggled in the third, again only securing one goal for the quarter, followed by a pair of behinds.
With a sole quarter remaining and an early grand final birth on the line, the Tigers needed to find something special to overcome a 59-point deficit.
To be fair, Rochester gave it everything it had down the stretch.
The Tigers lifted in the final quarter to notch their most productive period of the game with their backs against the wall.
They were the first to strike in the last quarter and conjured a last-ditch three-goal barrage to end the game, but it was too little, too late.
The Murray Bombers had a quiet fourth quarter, settling for a single goal and five behinds. They understood that the game was already theirs and that a third premiership in a row was now firmly in their grasp.
The final score was Echuca 15.17 (107) to Rochester 9.10 (64).
Riley Smith and Cooper Willoughby led the scoring for the men in green, collecting three goals apiece, while Cooper Barber and Sam Willoughby chipped in with a pair each.
Along with Smith, Logan Prout, Ben Reid, Sam Reid and Aiden Mills proved vital for the Murray Bombers throughout the game.
Echuca coach Simon Maddox was happy with how his side played, and now it will turn its attention to capturing the flag in a fortnight.
“We did what we needed to do, which was good. We got the win and have now gotten straight through to the grand final,” Maddox said.
“We’ll have the extra week to rest, which is a plus, so we can have everyone fit and ready to go.
“We did some good stuff. We moved to ball well and transitioned well from the back line to the forward half, but we took the foot off the pedal in the last quarter.
“We are just happy to get through to the grand final with no injuries and we are looking forward to playing in it.
“Now it’s just focusing on our game plan and reinforcing the small aspects of the game and the fundamentals. Hopefully, we can execute it well in two weeks.”
Maddox highlighted the positive vibe around the club and the desire to accomplish something that Echuca hasn’t done in its time in the GVL.
“The feeling around the club is excellent. We’ve never won three in a row in the history of the GVL. Many teams win two, but very few win three,” he said.
“The hunger is still there and we feel that we have been the best side all year, but that doesn’t count for much on the grand final day. It’s a one-off game and we still need to execute and get over the last hurdle.”
Echuca has been granted a rest next week and will have ample time to recover before taking on Shepparton Bears or Rochester on the GVL’s biggest stage.