GVL | Gallery | Young Swans take advantage of wayward Echuca to claim under-16s crown

The Swans feasted on Echuca’s inability to convert around the sticks, with a burst of three straight goals in the dying minutes of the third term setting up the 16-point win.

Caiden Phillips was the star for the Swans, securing the best-on-ground medal with a three-goal performance up forward, while Echuca’s Tom Evans was equally as impressive, kicking four goals in the losing cause as he was named player of the finals series.

The Swans became the first and only GVL premiers, with the competition ending after this season, and coach Greg Bicknell said the victory was a “special” achievement from his young group.

“It is an unbelievable feeling. We worked so hard starting way back in November last year and being October now, so this result has been 12 months in the making,” Bicknell said.

“The finals series in particular has been amazing. Beating the Bears after the siren and having tough battles with Echuca and Mooroopna, it has certainly been a journey and our game style has stood up.

“To have the mantle of being the one and only under-16s premier in the GVL, it is pretty special, and it was playing on the back on my mind a bit, so to pull it off, it’s incredible.”

On a perfect spring morning in Shepparton, it was a tight start to proceedings to kick off grand final day at Deakin Reserve, with Evans getting the scoring under way.

But a big courageous mark and goal to Swans forward Brodie Pena in the shadows of quarter-time got the underdogs rolling, with the deficit just four points at the first change.

The Swans took their first lead of the day early in the second courtesy of a crucial tackle and conversion by Phillips, but the Murray Bombers quickly answered with of a second goal to Evans.

With the game opening up, the run-and-gun style of the Swans began to win out as they booted two vital goals courtesy of a Harper Stevens snap and piece of Bailey Stevens magic on the run to open up a four-point half-time advantage.

Perfectly set up for an enthralling second half, Echuca came out of the main break with venom, dominating around the ground to get the lead back courtesy of a third major to Evans.

But with the game being played entirely in their forward half, the Murray Bombers wasted a host of opportunities in front of goal, registering 1.7 to keep the door open for the young Swans.

And to their credit they bashed that door down, with Phillips and Rory Duffy taking their chances to give them back the lead, before a remarkable snap on the three-quarter time siren by Mitch Grumley gave the Swans a crucial nine-point break.

After a frustrating third term, the Murray Bombers once again started a quarter full of steam, getting on top around the stoppages to cut the margin back to within a kick.

But in true Swans fashion, they quickly returned serve via a big pack mark by swing man Bruton and a third to the dominant Phillips.

Evans kept Echuca in the hunt with a fourth goal, before a class finish from the boundary by Simpson secured the 16-point victory for the Swans.

“It’s surreal, I seriously cannot believe we’ve pulled this off,” Bicknell said of his first thoughts following the siren.

“This result shows the strength of our junior program. This has been five years in the making for us and there is going to be plenty of success to come.”