Magpies no match for Murray Bombers

The Murray Bombers came out of the gate firing, not giving the Magpies a second to breathe. They kicked six goals and a behind to open their account.

Meanwhile, Euroa couldn’t get out from under a red-hot Echuca side, managing only one goal in the opening term.

The second quarter proved to be much more even, with Euroa tightening up its defence, holding Echuca to a trio of maximums and a behind while the Magpies kicked a pair and a behind themselves.

That glimmer of competitiveness would not last long.

Opening the second half the same way as they did the first, the Murray Bombers kicked another six goals in the third period while shutting down any chance for Euroa to score, which meant the game was all but over with a quarter to go.

As seems to be the case with most Echuca games, the Murray Bombers, knowing they had secured victory, took their foot off the gas, thus letting Euroa eke out a pair of goals and four behinds in the fourth quarter, notching their highest quarter total for the match.

Meanwhile, a cruising Echuca kicked one more goal and six behinds to end its day, clipping the Magpies’ wings with a crushing 73-point defeat.

The final score was Echuca 16.12 (108) to Euroa 5.5 (35).

Liam Tenace, Sam Willoughby, Samuel Reid, Jack McHale and Noah Langborne were named in Echuca’s best for the match.

Willoughby scored three goals, and Tenace, Reid, and McHale kicked one each to lift their team to victory.

The Murray Bombers’ win over Euroa marks their 10th victory in a row, cementing themselves at the top of the table. However, the Shepparton Bears maintain a close second, only trailing behind percentage.

Unless Rochester can beat the Murray Bombers again on August 10, it’s hard to see anyone taking the top spot away from Echuca by the end of the season.