Of course, the Bears have a preliminary final this Sunday against Rochester to focus on first, which will be no easy task.
However, given Shepparton defeated a strong Mooroopna side by over 10 goals in the semi-final and that the Bears beat the Tigers twice during the home-and-away season by 45 and 57 points, respectively.
Plus, the preliminary final will be played at Shepparton’s home ground in Deakin Reserve.
It seems likely that the Bears will advance to the 2024 Goulburn Valley League grand final against the already-qualified Echuca.
In finals football, everyone knows that the dial for pressure, intensity and physicality is turned up compared to a normal fixture, but grand finals are the extreme versions of those traits.
Large vocal crowds pack the stands, star players are spotlighted and mastermind coaches plot and plan their enemy’s downfall.
Shepparton’s high-pressure style and strategy seem purpose-built for the final game of the season.
This year, the Bears rank second across the league for average pressure acts per game, second for average effective tackles and first for average forward 50 tackles.
That level of intensity can throw any team off balance and it allowed Shepparton to match it with Echuca for the majority of the qualifying final loss.
The Bears also rank third for average one percenters per match.
Shepparton’s ability to pressure its opponents is only matched — arguably bettered — by its preliminary final opponents Rochester.
The Tigers rank first for average pressure acts, tackles, effective tackles and midfield tackles.
However, while the Bears rank 10th (third best) for average turnovers per game, the Tigers sit in the top three.
This demonstrates that while both teams are great pressure sides, Shepparton tends to be cleaner with its ball use.
Where the three remaining GVL teams rank in average pressure statistics
Pressure acts: Rochester (1st), Shepparton (2nd), Echuca (4th)
Effective tackles: Rochester (1st), Shepparton (2nd), Echuca (8th)
Forward 50 tackles: Shepparton (1st), Rochester (2nd), Echuca (3rd)
In the attacking half of the ground, Shepparton’s midfield-forward mix of Luke Smith, Xavier Stevenson, Adam De Cicco, Liam Duguid and Ned Byrne helps the Bears by regularly impacting the scoreboard.
Shepparton is tied second with Mansfield for scoring efficiency, proving the Bears make you pay when entering the forward 50.
So, can the Bears — should they get past the Tigers on Sunday — replicate this high-pressure and lethal attack style of football against the two-time reigning premiers?
The Bears have played this brand of football all season and yet have fallen to the Murray Bombers twice.
The qualifying final was closer than the 35-point margin suggests, but the Bears will still need to be at the top of their pressure game if they are to have any chance of taking down the Echuca juggernaut.
