Murray Bombers bag another comfortable win

Round one’s 39-point win over Shepparton United was largely due to a strong fourth quarter and round two’s dance with Euroa was decided by a third term squeeze.

It was all relative to start the contest — with both sides playing some good football, it just so happened that the green machine (4.4) were able to double the Magpies’ output (2.2).

Cooper Barber was Echuca’s spearhead in front of goals throughout the contest and continued his red-hot kicking in the second period, striking first before an avalanche of behinds extended the Murray Bombers’ lead.

The second quarter was a period of comeback play for Euroa with Jett Trotter’s double putting the Magpies just four points down at the major break.

In a tight contest, the first stretch after half-time tends to be a pivotal moment in the match, and that was once again proved true as Echuca’s dominance over the third term blew out the game.

Barber found a new gear in front of goal, kicking two more to power his side out to a strong lead which was aided by Will Monahan, who collected his second and Samuel Reid and Jack Evans who joined in on the fun.

The strong attacking play was facilitated by Echuca’s lock-down defence, which held Euroa to one behind in the third term.

With the lead blown out to 28, Echuca knew the win was in its sights and continued to apply pressure down the stretch.

Euroa managed a stronger last quarter than it’s third, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome the previous deficit, with the Murray Bombers claiming a 40-point victory.

The final score was Echuca 12.18 (90) to Euroa 7.8 (50) with Barber’s bag of goals leading the charge for the Murray Bombers.

With Echuca sitting in fifth on the table purely on percentage, it will have a chance to return to the top of the ladder when it faces wooden spoon shoo-in Tatura on Easter Saturday.