GVL Data | Hot start leads Echuca to statement-making qualifying final victory

By Zac Standish

Sep 5, 2022

Dialling up the pressure: Echuca produced a swift response to its round 18 loss to Mooroopna with a dominant qualifying final win over Mansfield.

After losing its first game of the 2022 Goulburn Valley League season against Mooroopna in round 18, Echuca entered its qualifying final against Mansfield on Saturday a team desperate to respond.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

And in true Murray Bombers fashion, they were quick to show that loss to the Cats was a small blip on the radar, punishing the in-form Eagles with a brutal first term to set up a dominant 69-point win.

So through the power of GVL Data, let’s delve a little deeper into the numbers behind Echuca’s swift response and how dominant it can be at it’s best.

When it comes to finals footy there is nothing more important than setting the tone.

And in the early stages of Saturday’s qualifying final at Kings Park, Seymour, all pundits could tell, the Murray Bombers were on.

Getting back to the clinical style of game that led them to 17-straight win, Echuca did not let the young Eagles settle, consistently winning the ball around the contest and pumping it into attack.

This was reflected in the all-important territory battle, as the play lived inside the Murray Bombers attacking half, with the inside 50 count reading a stunning 22-2 in their favour.

As a result, Echuca did all the scoring in the first term, recording 3.3 to open up a lead it would constantly build on as the game progressed.

With the inside 50 count being so lopsided, one would expect the other key indicators to be similar reading.

But surprisingly, Mansfield was competitive around the ball in the early stages, losing the disposal count by seven, contested possession by five, uncontested possession by three and marks by three.

This further proves how clinical the Murray Bombers were with ball in hand and sends an ominous message to the remaining contenders.

Following the first-quarter annihilation, Echuca maintained its pressure and continued putting Mansfield to the sword, keeping it to one goal throughout the first three quarters.

So if anybody thought the Murray Bombers may have been vulnerable, Saturday’s performance would have certainly made them think again, with the premiership still seemingly theirs to lose.