Conflicting game styles clashed at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve on Saturday night.
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The speed and silk of reigning Goulburn Valley League netball premier Echuca was matched up against the fire and brimstone of Mooroopna in a mouth-watering elimination final battle.
After roaring to an 11-4 lead in the first stanza it looked as if the Murray Bombers were going to blow the Cats off the court, but Di Hanslow's charges fought back to be one goal down at the first break.
It was a bruising second term under lights to no avail for either outfit, with the margin remaining the same at the half.
But a few tweaks to her teamsheet was all Echuca coach Gina Pearson needed to break the dam wall open, with the Murray Bombers going on to record a 23-goal triumph and lock in a double chance.
"I think we play a different sort of game to them, they're a very physical side," Pearson said.
"They used that in the first half probably and we probably didn't adjust as well as we needed to, so we discussed a few things at half-time and were able to put those into practice.
"The umpiring also helped us a bit because they got a few warnings that meant they had to pull back a bit.
"We just don't play that sort of game, so it's hard for our girls to even train against that because we play a fast-moving game.
"So we made some changes, we discussed what we could do to try and counteract that and we were able to put that into practice."
Steph Vick was able to pinch-hit off the bench for Echuca, with Zara Pearson, Claudia Mawson and Bridget Byrne also drawing praise from their mentor.
"Steph Vick has had a bit of a sore hip, but she was able to come in and relieve Zara for a few minutes which was great, and then Zara went in and played well in the last quarter as well," Pearson said.
"We had great players all throughout. I think Claudia made great changes to her game, she was physically being buffeted a bit and she came out in that last quarter and shot beautifully.
"Bridget Byrne adjusted her game as well, we talked to her about not getting stuck on the body because the height was a real disadvantage and I think she made them think about where the ball was going to go into their tall player.
"I think that was a real bonus for us because we got a lot more loose balls that we picked up and we forced them into error which is the sort of game that we try to play.
"This was always going to be a tough game, because we got beaten by 26 goals last time we knew that that physical style of play was pretty tough for us, but I thought it was great that we were able to withstand it and then drive on from it, so I'm really happy."
Georgia Gattuso and Georgia Braybon were among the stars for the Cats, especially during their early charge back into the contest.
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