Bombs away: Echuca coach Belinda Lees wishes to return the Goulburn Valley League A-grade flag to Echuca for the first time since 2018.
Photo by
Aydin Payne
The narrative for Sunday’s Goulburn Valley League A-grade grand final is nothing short of Shakespearean.
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On one side is Euroa, deprived of premiership glory for four decades, but refreshed with a cast of hungry talents assembled to tackle the stage and quell the curse.
Then there’s Echuca, sprinkled with seasoned heads who are no strangers to hoisting the flag at Deakin Reserve — many of whom did so during the Murray Bombers’ 2018 title win.
They have won 11 of their past 12 games and were the first to qualify for the 2023 grand final.
However, Euroa was responsible for Echuca’s elimination final exit last season, leaving the door open for some long-awaited revenge.
Echuca coach Belinda Lees hasn’t forgotten the heartbreak of 12 months ago and, after losing to Euroa twice during the current campaign, has primed her troops to peg one back in the game which matters the most.
“We’re incredibly excited for the challenge,” Lees said.
“We haven’t beaten Euroa yet this season, so we wanted to play them because that’s the scalp we haven’t got.
“We have absolute belief in each other, our systems and our structures, so we’re going in feeling really confident in ourselves and just can’t wait to get out there to put it out on court.”
There is a question of whether Echuca’s recent break is a positive or a negative.
The Bottle Greens’ rollicking form has granted Lees’ side a week of rest, whereas Euroa has plugged away continuously since mid-August.
Coach Ellie Warnock said she and her fellow Magpies had been inundated with messages of support, helping to drive the hype train into the big dance.
Pumped up: Euroa coach Ellie Warnock said preparations had been great ahead of the grand final.
Photo by
Zac Standish
“It’s been really nice, just all the support we’ve received,” she said.
“I’ve had messages from people around the town, people from the club, people from other clubs, just to say that it’s our town and it’s really exciting.
“It’s one thing to win for ourselves, but it’s even more motivating to do it for our club and the fans.”
While Euroa has overcome Echuca twice this season Warnock and Lees agreed neither side was at full strength when they played.
The former said those results gave little insight into how the grand final would play out.
“Echuca, they’re all class; they’ve got some really smart, experienced players — the likes of Steph Vick, Sheridan Townrow,” Warnock said.
“So as long as we maintain possession and convert from our centre passes and capitalise on the opportunities we get to score throughout the game, then we’ll be fine.
“For us it just comes down to being patient and not rushing.”
Magpies centre Kellie Davidson has played the entire finals series with a heavily strapped ankle and Sunday is likely to be no different.
Warnock indicated her willingness to push through the pain was a sign of what had made Euroa so good for the past two seasons.
“I said this last year and it just continues to build, the bond we have between each other and the trust to keep building as a club and as a team.
“Having the experience across the whole court, it’s not just a half the team kind of job, everyone takes part in the wins.
“On Sunday it’s going to come down to being a team effort and that’s what we’ve been doing all year.
“All in all, we’re just determined to prove to everyone that we’ve earned this spot and we deserve to be here.”
