“You always set yourself up for these sorts of games, so I just kept it real basic,” Grixti said.
“When you're playing up against a team like Rochester, you really get up for those games.
“It's a bit overwhelming and I’m super happy that I could just contribute on the day.”
Coming to the wicket at 1-54 on day one after his openers Curtis Townrow and Brendan Moyle had established an early platform for the Echuca innings, Grixti’s composure in the middle allowed his side to build around him as it constructed its first innings total of 8-297.
Facing up to a mammoth 160 deliveries, Grixti compiled a game-best 77 runs, including 11 boundaries, as Echuca progressed to 256, 202 runs ahead of when he entered the game, before he was the fifth man dismissed.
Grixti’s solidity at one end allowed his partners to have confidence playing more aggressively.
Kobyn James lofted two sixes and eight fours on the way to 60 from 97, and Anthony Dennis followed with two maximums and seven total boundaries in his 63 from 73.
“’Smeegs’ (captain Simon Maddox) said all year my role is just to bat long and bat deep, always get to tea and then from there capitalise and have the team bat around me,” Grixti said.
“I’m just happy that I could do that today.
“The form's been up and down most of the year and I didn't have a good semi, so I was just really keen to make amends for that and capitalise on really good conditions.”
Notwithstanding a duck in the semi-final, Grixti came into a good patch of form over recent weeks, making 92 in the final regular season round.
Grixti hasn’t been around for the entire Echuca dynasty, joining the club partway through last season, but has quickly recognised the quality of the environment around the team.
“It’s just the hunger,” he said.
“It’s that great balance of enjoying your cricket but also that competitiveness and drive to make everyone better and, on game day, pushing each other to get the best out of one another and supporting each other.
“It’s been said we’re a band of brothers and hopefully everyone could see out there today that we look like brothers out there.
“We had each other’s backs and it goes a long way when you can play your cricket with freedom, which is what we’ve always been able to do.”
