The Murray Bombers will face Mooroopna in the under-17s decider, fresh off a big win against Shepparton in the preliminary final last week.
Echuca claimed a 38-36 victory over the Bears, knocking their opponents out after Shepparton had finished on top of the ladder with an unbeaten home-and-away season.
It was the Murray Bombers’ first win over the Bears in 2022, with Shepp having won the previous three encounters, and under-17s coach Kristine Oliver said the victory was a huge boost for her side.
“I think beating Shepp Bears on Sunday was huge, we hadn’t beaten them all season. There was lots of excitement on Sunday,” she said.
“I think the girls went in thinking ‘we have nothing to lose, we haven’t beaten them, so lets go out and give it 100 per cent’.”
The Murray Bombers finished second on the ladder, but a loss to the Bears in the opening round of the finals meant they had to go the long way to reach the grand final.
Wins against Rochester, then Shepparton, saw Echuca reach the grand final, and Oliver felt her side was better off for it.
“We’ve done it the hard way and had to play every game, but I think it has been a real positive,” she said.
“We have had six really tough games and I think that has been really good for the girls, they have had to play really hard for four quarters.
“We have kept that momentum going and we have been really strong.”
Echuca now faces Mooroopna, a side it has defeated twice so far in 2022, including a 39-37 win in the final home-and-away round.
But Oliver said they would not be taking their opponents lightly, with the coach anticipating a difficult match.
“We don’t want to be complacent,’’ she said.
“We have beaten them (Mooroopna) both times, but they beat Shepp Bears to get to the grand final too, so they are going to be tough.
“They are going to come out strong, they are going to be up and about because they too beat Shepp, and they had never beaten Shepp as well.
“They definitely will not lay down.
“They have strong defenders and really accurate goalers as well.
“It is going to be really tough.”
According to Oliver, staying calm under pressure was key on Sunday, something the Murray Bombers had done in the preliminary final.
“It’s really going to come down to who can play out those four quarters and keep calm,’’ she said.
“And I think that is what the girls did really well on Sunday.
“The conditions were terrible with the weather, there was a big Shepp crowd there and the girls really kept their composure.
“They were really settled, they didn’t get caught up on the moment.
“Hopefully for the grand final it will be similar, and they don’t get caught up in the hoo-ha and they just play netball.”
Oliver said her assistant coach Greta Pearson, who played A-grade netball for Echuca, had played a big role with the team this season, while the playing group had really come together.
“Greta has been coaching with me and she has been unbelievable with the girls,’’ she said.
“The girls have a lot of respect for Gret and she has been amazing throughout the whole season.
“The players are all really good friends off the court.
“They have respect for each other and I think that is a really positive thing as well.”
