Goulburn Valley: Echuca record winning margin in grand final demolition

Echuca has taken its place among the best GV teams since 2000 with a record grand final win. See who will coach the powerhouse next season.

Echuca executed a ruthless demolition of Shepparton by 96 points in the Goulburn Valley grand final at Deakin Reserve on Sunday to confirm its place among the league’s standout teams since 2000.

The Murray Bombers completed a premiership hat-trick in the GV for the first time with the latest triumph safely in hand when they led by seven goals at quarter time.

The final scoreline of 22.22 (154) was its highest score of the season with only inaccuracy preventing an even bigger rout.

Echuca’s winning margin is a new record in grand finals, eclipsing the 74-point drubbing it received from Tatura in 1995.

It has solid claims to being the best GV team since 2000 as it was also on top of the ladder when Covid-19 shutdown the 2021 season prematurely.

Echuca has staked its claim as one of the best Goulburn Valley teams since 2000. Picture: Aidan Briggs, McPherson Media Group

The other GV dominators have been Seymour, which won three flags in a row from 2005 and Kyabram, which won 62 matches in a row, including two flags, before a shock loss to Shepparton in the 2018 grand final.

Grand final day was made even sweeter for Echuca with a comeback win in the under-18s and victory in the reserves.

“When you win three in a row, that’s rare air,” Echuca co-coach Simon Maddox said.

“You dream of being able to do that.

“Having the thirds win from six or seven goals down at three quarter time and get up in a heart-stopper really starts the day off on the right note.

“The reserves and seniors were able to follow suit.”

Echuca has won the last five under-18s premierships with the flag-winning teams underpinning the present day senior team.

POLL: Who has been best @GVLeague team since 2000? @theweeklytimes@ctryfootyscores

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Cooper and Sam Willoughby won the two medals for best-on-ground in the grand final with Cooper joining ruckman Kane Morris, Cooper Barber and Jack Evans in kicking three goals.

The Willoughby brothers were recruited from Deniliquin, but have been with the Murray Bombers long to be one-point players.

A crowd of 6300 people was at Deakin Reserve to watch Echuca create its own slice of of history.

The gate takings of $60,289 were down on the $62,717 collected last year when Echuca downed Kyabram in the grand final.

Shepparton had a far from ideal preparation for the grand final.

The Bears unsuccessfully fought all the way to an appeal hearing on Friday night to have onballer Luke Smith available after being suspended for striking early in the preliminary final against Rochester.

In comparison, Echuca had a perfect lead-in following its second semi-final win.

“We were really comfortable going in and really calm and Shepparton hadn’t been there for a few years,” Maddox said.

“They had a lot of young blokes and might have been overawed by the occasion.

“They didn’t fire their best shot, but all credit to our guys.

“Everything went to script for us.

“We came out and were hard at the footy.

“It doesn’t often work that way, but it did this time.”

Andrew Walker has stepped down as Echuca co-coach after coaching with Simon Maddox since 2018. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Echuca’s latest flag ends the co-coaching partnership of Maddox and Andrew Walker, which started in 2018.

Walker is stepping aside, but the Murray Bombers are sticking with the co-coach set up with the club’s former under-18s coach, Leo Tenace, to work alongside Maddox.

“Andrew will still be around the club, but he won’t be coaching,” Maddox said.

“Leo has been that conduit for all those clubs that have come through over the last three or four years.

“He’s blooded a lot of them and pushed a lot of them to play senior footy.

“Hopefully he can challenge a fair of them and rekindle those relationships that he built.”

MATCH DETAILS

ECHUCA 7.6 13.10 17.15 22.22 (154)

SHEPPARTON 1.1 2.2 5.4 9.4 (58)

Goals: ECHUCA: K. Morris 3, C. Willoughby 3, C. Barber 3, J. Evans 3, S. Willoughby 2, S. Reid 2, H. Byrne 2, R. Smith, L. Tenace, L. Watson, M. Wales. SHEPPARTON: J. Brett 2, T. Herbert, X. Stevenson, C. Fleming, J. Cooper, A. Decicco, T. Larkin, L. McShane.

Best: ECHUCA: L. Prout, K. Morris, C. Valentine, J. Evans, S. Willoughby. SHEPPARTON: J. Wardle, J. Brett, E. Lindon, B. Stephenson, A. Holland.