Goulburn Valley: Euroa faces red-hot favourite Echuca in grand final

Euroa will start as big underdogs in the grand final, but Goulburn Valley history says upsets can happen on its most important day.

Euroa will start as massive underdogs in its first Goulburn Valley grand final appearance since 2005 on Sunday when it plays Echuca.

But recent history shows shock results can happen at Deakin Reserve in late September.

In 2018, Shepparton caused a massive upset to end Kyabram’s charge to a third successive premiership on the back of a 62-match winning streak.

Four years earlier Shepparton Swans stopped Benalla’s seemingly inevitable march to a first GV league flag after switching from the Ovens and Murray league in the late 1990s.

Euroa, coached by Scott Rowan since 2019, has also suffered three heavy losses to Echuca this season with the most recent being 74 points in the second semi-final.

But Euroa won through to the grand final by beating Mansfield in the preliminary final in a match that had to be stopped for about 30 minutes due to lightning when a severe storm lashed Shepparton.

Scenes at Deakin Reserve. Conditions getting worse by second. Strong chance match will be abandoned. ⁦@theweeklytimes⁩ pic.twitter.com/nB0nOulctt

— David Johnston (@david_johnston5) September 18, 2022

Euroa led by 15 points when players left the ground in the first quarter, and kicked the first goal when play resumed from the boot of Nate Stewart to extend the margin to 21.

Mansfield rallied in the third quarter, but conceded a late goal, courtesy of a 50m penalty, to halt the momentum.

Erish Uthayakumar kickstarted Euroa with two early goals in his first full season at the club.

In 2018 playing for Albury, he suffered a serious ankle injury during the filming of an O&M promotional video.

Euroa could be bolstered by the return of Adam Giobbi, who was injured in the warm-up before the second semi-final, and Max Gleeson coming back from concussion.

Echuca’s Jack McHale is set to miss the Goulburn Valley grand final due to suspension. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Gleeson was concussed from a blow that led to Echuca’s Jack McHale being handed a four-match suspension including the grand final.

Echuca co-coach Simon Maddox confirmed the club was exploring appeal options to give McHale a chance at playing.

But it has a ready-made replacement in Sam Willoughby, who sat out the second semi-final with a hip injury sustained the previous week.

“It bruised up really badly and was still really restricted in his running the following week,” Maddox said.

“Obviously having the double chance we decided not to risk him.

“He will be 100 per cent right and it was just a matter of who was going to go out.”