GVL | Echuca tastes defeat as Mooroopna pulls off a miracle

Cats recruit Jackson Trengove seemed to kick his side clear with a goal late in the fourth quarter before two quickfire replies to Echuca drew the Murray Bombers within six points

However, that was where the margin stayed as the final siren prompted jubilant celebrations from the Mooroopna faithful, and heralded Echuca’s first on-field defeat this season.

The 12.5 (77) to 10.11 (71) result means Mooroopna will face Rochester in an elimination final next Saturday, and with momentum at its back the Cats squad will be a hot favourite to keep its season alive.

Echuca coach Simon Maddox credited John Lamont’s side for the miraculous result and said it was a timely reminder of what could happen if you were slightly off your game.

“They played like it was the last game of footy they were going to play,” Maddox said.

“Credit to Mooroopna, they had it all to play for and they showed that.

“Maybe we were a fraction off, and it shows in the GVL that if you’re a fraction off you can be beaten by anyone in the top six.

“It’s a good lesson for us to learn one week out from finals. We were five to 10 per cent off and they were red hot.”

Mooroopna was made to work for the win early in the game.

Echuca raced to a five-goal head start in the first quarter before the Cats reeled off two to get on the board.

Mooroopna responded in the second quarter with three goals to Echuca’s one, but the Murray Bombers still held a nine-point lead at half-time.

The Cats then proceeded to do what only Seymour had previously done — beat Echuca in the third term.

Mooroopna roared into the lead on the back of a Trengove and Chris Nield blitz, and despite the best efforts of Jack McHale in the middle for Echuca, Ethan Hunt was equally as impressive for the Cats.

A four-goal quarter saw the Cats take a seven-point lead into three-quarter time, and a do-or-die rev up from coach Lamont inspired Mooroopna to victory.

“It is great for this club and these guys, especially those who were part of those lean years, this means so much,” Lamont told The News.

“For years Moooroopna people have come to the footy and at quarter-time it’d be eight goals to one, so the objective all year has been to be competitive and in the game at three-quarter time to give our people something to cheer about.

“I take this job incredibly seriously. We’ve worked so hard all year and today we saw just how special football can be.”

Victories to Mooroopna, Kyabram and Rochester saw the top six settled, with Seymour heartbreakingly close to qualifying. The Lions missed out on percentage, just 0.19 per cent behind the sixth-placed Bombers.

Despite the loss, Echuca will be looking to rebound quickly as a blockbuster qualifying final against Mansfield awaits this week.

“There won’t be any grand changes, we’ve played the same way for a long time,” Maddox said.

“We’ll get a few personnel back so there will be three or four new faces next week.

“It’s a bit frustrating because we don’t know where we’re playing them at the moment. We’re training tomorrow night and we don’t know where we’re playing.

“We got our bum kicked on the weekend and it’s a good wake-up call for us. We’re going to come ready to play.”

Euroa and Kyabram will do battle in an elimination final, while the Cats and Tigers will also aim to keep their seasons alive.