With a place in the Grand Final at stake, virtually nothing separated these two A-grade heavyweights.
While the Cats struck first, both sides traded blows for most of the first quarter, with a late three-goal burst by Mooroopna’s Goal Shooter Ashley Lancaster giving the Cats the edge at the first siren.
The same could be said of the second period, where the two sides practically mirrored each other until the final minute when Echuca’s Goal Attack, Belinda Lees, delivered a much-needed double to leave the scores level at half-time.
Following the major break, Mooroopna was galvanised in their pursuit of greatness. They put on a clinic to start the third term, scoring five early goals to wrestle the lead back in their favour.
However, following the Cats’ initial burst of scoring vigour, the Murray Bombers launched a counterattack, piling on nine goals in eight minutes, contributing to their two-goal lead heading into the final frame.
Coming into the fourth quarter, both teams knew the game would go down to the wire, and it would be a test of resolve more than anything.
Mooroopna appeared to be more determined out of the gate, levelling the score within two minutes, but a six-goal assault by Lees gave the girls in green a five-goal lead with four minutes to go.
The Cats made a positional reshuffle in the dying minutes in the hopes of juicing their attacking output, and while it worked to a certain degree as they scored the final three goals of the match, it wasn’t enough to stop the Murray Bombers, who as always, refused to blink first.
The final score was Echuca 39 to Mooroopna 37.
As has been the case throughout most of the season, Lees’ clutch tenacity and ability to recognise and rise to the occasion were the difference between two evenly matched sides.
The girls in green have been granted a rest next week as they prepare to face one of the two top-seeded teams.
The Grand Final will be a rematch with Mooroopna or a 2023 Grand Final rematch against Euroa.
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