Bombers fall after Echuca’s second-half blitz

The home side’s hard running and execution exposed the Bombers after half-time as Echuca turned a five-point deficit into a commanding 37-point win.

With only Zac Keogh possibly missing from arguably Kyabram’s best line-up for the season, it was a clear wake-up call that Echuca is still the side to beat for the flag.

A big crowd witnessed Echuca kick the first three goals of the game, but Kyabram fought hard to wrestle back the lead narrowly at the long interval in an absorbing first half.

But when the game was up for grabs in the second half, it was Echuca who seized the initiative with seven goals to three in the final two quarters.

Echuca’s small men led by Jack Stewart, Jack Evans and Jack McHale were too slick for the Bombers at ground level and the experienced campaigners in Andrew Walker, Sam Reid, Kane Morris, Liam Tenace and Cam Valentine were there to steady the Echuca ship when needed.

Echuca’s quick ball movement and ability to hit targets exposed Kyabram and was the telling difference in the wash-up.

The only positive out of the game from a Kyabram perspective was that it wasn’t blown away yet had most of its key playmakers performing well below par.

All Kyabram players tried but few could claim they had the better or held their own on the day.

The exceptions, according to Kyabram coach Paul Newman, were Liam Ogden, Toby Wooller, Will Golds and Kyle Mueller.

‘‘They were our only players who won on the day,“ Newman said.

‘‘We were beaten by 30 in stoppage clearances and we had 12 players who got nine possessions or less. You can’t win games with stats like that.’’

Ogden toiled hard all day to make his 200th game a memorable one but lacked the support he normally gets from his onball teammates.

Ogden, Wooller and Golds were the only Kyabram players to get more than 20 possessions.

Mueller was the side’s standout forward, displaying some of his magic skills to kick four goals in a team that battled to kick goals and had no system in attack.

Riley Ironside, Brad Whitford and Aidan Robinson were the pick of the Kyabram defenders, who were under constant pressure against Echuca’s pace and swift and accurate movement of the ball into the forward line.

When the chips were down, most of the Kyabram players struggled to match the tempo the relentlessly running Echuca applied, particularly in the second half.

It’s certainly not the end of Kyabram’s push to have a serious tilt at the flag, but it was a costly loss with the team slipping from top to third place and possibly doing its dash for a double chance come finals.

The Bombers certainly need to lift when it meets Shepparton at Deakin Reserve this Saturday in what could be a danger game.

• Kyabram’s reserves shook off Echuca after half-time, kicking eight goals to two in the last two quarters to run out winners by 10 goals.

The home side hung in for a half but couldn’t match the visitors when they upped the ante.

Players with plenty of senior experience in Nic Denahy, Cooper Vick and Tom Burnett showed the way for the winners but got plenty of support.

Vick and Burnett were squeezed out of the senior side and reacted positively with top games.

Kyabram also had good players in Will Burnett and Billy McLay, while Liam Francis was in a lot of the action.

• Kyabram’s thirds fully tested the unbeaten reigning premier, who took until the dying moments of the game to break the shackles.

It was all square at three-quarter time in a dour battle but two late goals in the last term got Echuca home by 13 points.

Onballers in ruckman Angus Scoble, Miller Griffiths, skipper Bohden Learmonth and Sam Marshall were key prime movers for most of the game and young Oskar Shortis was hard at it.

Tyler Norman and Archer Guinan also got their share of the Sherrin to keep their side in the game and talented Nic Jephson lifted a lot in the second when moved into the ruck.

Coach Peter Hall was happy with his team’s endeavour in fully stretching the unbeaten ladder-leader.

‘‘Our entries into our forward line let us down and our small forwards were unable to make the impact they can, but we certainly had a red-hot go,“ he said.