‘Good to get out there’: Echuca claims scrappy affair against Benalla as Reid makes return

By Josh Huntly

Aug 6, 2023

Finding a way: Benalla's Will Martiniello fires off a handball under pressure from Echuca’s Noah Langborne (left) and Jack McHale. Photos: Brenden Paddock Photo by Brenden Paddock

The 71-point triumph over Benalla may seem just another scalp for the Echuca juggernaut, but it was a significant occasion for a premiership star.

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

Echuca’s Ben Reid finally snatched the opportunity to run out for the Murray Bombers in the scrappy round 16 affair and in good news the gun defender ran out the game.

The 2022 premiership defender has suffered a rotten run after a slow return from an ankle procedure and a mid-season calf injury, but is now aiming to make his mark with Goulburn Valley League finals on the horizon.

“I had an ankle arthroscope in January and it just didn’t come on as good as we hoped,” Reid said.

“We had some complications coming back from that and as I was about to play about six or seven weeks ago, I managed to do my calf running.

“It’s been a bit of a slow process and not how I hoped the year would go, but luckily enough time has been on my side.”

One of Echuca’s most reliable running defenders last year, the 81-game Murray Bomber admitted he was “a bit rusty” after his extended stint on the sidelines.

“It’s been a long 10 months since the grand final,” he said.

“I was a bit rusty, but I was lucky enough to manage to play the second half, which was nice. It was good to get out there finally, blow the cobwebs out and get ready for another finals preparation.”

Echuca ran out a 71-point winner over the Saints and with the split-round bye this weekend and clashes against Rochester and Mooroopna to come, Reid said the club was in good shape heading into September.

“Personally, I’ll be focusing on doing everything well in terms of preparation,” he said.

“We only have two games until finals, so it’s pretty important that we tick all the boxes and use this week off as a bit of a training block.

“As a team, we’re in a pretty good spot. We’ll get some players back and give ourselves a chance to rest a few.”

While Echuca’s radar was wayward, sheer weight of opportunities helped the Murray Bombers comfortably account for Benalla on the Saints’ home turf.

Echuca had 35 scoring shots to nine in the 71-point win at Benalla Showgrounds and that dominance was highlighted by a third quarter where the Saints were held scoreless.

Mitch Wales, Jack Evans and Riley Smith guided the reigning premier to a sixth consecutive victory, while Fintan Brazil, Josh Marchbank and Jordan Wolff battled hard for Benalla, which was coming off its third win of the season.

Echuca’s ascendancy over the Saints stretches back to 2018, but one of the downsides that will be assessed from the clash will be the behinds column.