Echuca last won the GVL senior title 20 years ago — in 2002 — and has been frustrated by the cancellation of finals series during the COVID pandemic as it was considered the best team during the 2021 home-and-away season.
For Euroa it has been a 32-year wait, its last senior premiership in the 1990 season. Before that the team had not won a title since 1971 — its first GVL premiership after crossing from the Waranga North East league.
Echuca has lost just one game — on the scoreboard at least — for the entire season. It had its round one premiership points taken from it after an administrative error from its match with Rochester.
And in the final home-and-away round it lost a one-goal thriller with Mooroopna, which was duly knocked out of the premiership race two weeks later.
They are the only blemishes for the season by the Andrew Walker-coached team, which beat Mansfield by 69 points in the opening week of the finals and Euora by 74 points a week later to book a place in the grand final.
Euroa had a 24-point win against Mansfield at Deakin Reserve in the preliminary final on Sunday.
That semi-final meeting between Echuca and Euroa saw the Murray Bombers kick seven goals to one in the final term, key forward Ruory Kirkby taking his goal tally to 81 (from 19 games) with a bag of six against the Magpies.
In round two this season Echuca was a 43-point winner after Euroa led at the first change of ends. In round 13 it was a 62-point win for the Murray Bombers as they kicked six goals to none in the final term.
Echuca mid-field bull Jack McHale has twice featured prominently against Euroa, while Euroa ruckman Andrew Smith and key defender Adam Giobbi have stood up well against their highly ranked opponent in all three matches.
More details on page 15 today in GVL Data.
