GVL grand final day: What you need to know

By Bransen Gibson

Sep 22, 2022

Grand Sunday: Echuca Football Netball Club will have six teams in GVL grand finals on Sunday, and players (from left) Halle Gray (under-17 netball), Makai Cronin (under-16 football), Jayden Howe (reserves football), Kane Morris (senior football), Andrew Walker (senior football), Sam Deola (under-18 football) and Paige Simpson (under-15 netball) will all be hoping to lift the premiership cup. Photo: Steve Huntley

The biggest day on the Goulburn Valley League calendar is finally back, with the league set to host its first grand finals since 2019 on Sunday.

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A crowd in the thousands is expected to flock to Deakin Reserve in Shepparton, with four football and five netball premiers set to be crowned.

It is set to be a huge day for the Echuca Football Netball Club, with six Murray Bombers teams taking part in grand finals; all four football sides and two netball teams.

Ahead of the big day, here is everything you need to know about the event.

Who is playing?

Football: Seniors: Echuca vs Euroa. Reserves: Kyabram vs Echuca. Under-18s: Echuca vs Shepparton Swans. Under-16s: Echuca vs Shepparton Swans.

Netball: A-grade: Shepparton United vs Seymour. B-grade: Rochester vs Seymour. B-reserve: Seymour vs Mansfield. 17-and-under: Mooroopna vs Echuca. 15-and-under: Echuca vs Shepparton Swans.

Game times

There is a full slate of games set to take place on Sunday, and a pair of Echuca teams will kick the action off.

Echuca’s under-15 netball and under-16 football will be the opening matches of the day, both starting at 8.30am.

Every football grand final will feature a Murray Bombers team: the under-18s is scheduled to start at 10.30am, with the reserves kicking off at 12.20pm and the seniors at 2.40pm.

In the netball, Echuca’s under-17s will take to the court at 10am. The B-reserves will follow at 11.30am, with B-grade tipping off at 1pm before the A-grade grand final at 2.30pm.

Location

All the games will be played at Deakin Reserve in Shepparton, the home of Shepparton Bears and Shepparton United. The ground is situated on the corner of Nixon St and Skene St.

If you are making the trip to the ground for the first time, it will take around 50 minutes from Echuca, but allow extra time to find a parking spot as well.

Parking

Parking is going to be at a premium, and there will be no parking inside the ground. Nixon St is closed due to road works, with only west-bound traffic able to get through.

Patrons will need to find a park in the nearby area: Harold St, Knight St, Middleton St, McCracken St, Oram St, Corio St, McKinney St, Edward St and Barker Ave are all close to the field, and walking distance to the ground.

Tickets

Tickets will be available at the gate on the day. Entry for adults is $15 and $6 for aged pensioners and children aged between 14 and 17. Kids under 14 can get in for free.

All patrons will need to buy a ticket, including Echuca club members. The Nixon St gate will be closed, with entry only available from the Harold St and Skene St gates.

Weather

After a wet and wild day of preliminary final action last weekend, the weather is looking like it will be better this Sunday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a sunny day with a high of 18°C, light winds and a slight chance of rain; a vast improvement on the rain and lightning last week!

What if I can’t go?

There is good news for those who are unable to make it out to Shepparton for the games on Sunday, with every match set to be live-streamed.

The streams will be operated by Cluch TV. You can access the live-stream at https://cluch.tv/afl-sports/goulburn-valley-league/ or through the Cluch TV app.

The live-stream is free to watch, however viewers will need to create a free Cluch account before watching.

What happens if there is a draw?

If any of the games on Sunday end in a draw, extra time will be played to crown a winner on the day.

In the event of a tied game in any football finals match (except the senior grand final) a further 10 minutes plus time-on shall be played in two five-minute halves. In the seniors, two 10-minute halves will be played.

If the scores are still level after extra time, it will be the first team to score who wins.

In the netball, in the event of a draw there will be a five-minute break, then two seven-minute ends will be played.

If the two teams still can’t be split after that, the game will continue until one team holds a two-goal advantage.