Echuca wins fourth GVL Grand Final in 5 years
By Rohan Aldous
Echuca dismantled a wounded Shepparton Bears outfit for the second time in three seasons when it secured its fourth post-COVID Goulburn Valley League senior football premiership on Sunday.
In 2024, the Murray Bombers beat the Bears by a record margin, 96 points, and on Sunday it was an 81-point victory for the green and white as they secured their ninth title since rejoining the league in 1974.
They won the game 21.15 (141) to 8.12 (60), kicking six goals from 11 scoring shots in the first term to lead by 34, extending that lead to 54 at half-time and to 65 points at the final break.
The Bears kicked half of their eight goals in a final term which featured 10 goals.
Echuca has now won the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026 titles after it led the competition right up until the 2021 season was abandoned due to COVID.
For the Bears, it was a difficult week, with stars Adam Decicco and Kade O’Dwyer forced to withdraw due to injury and the team having to take the long route through the finals, beaten by Echuca in week one, then overcoming Mooroopna and Kyabram before facing Echuca in Sunday’s grand final.
Conversely, Echuca had the luxury of bringing Cody Walker and Tom Evans into the team for the weekend. Walker’s credentials have been widely broadcast and he didn’t let anyone down: a great goal late in the game, a fend-off that Dusty Martin would have been proud of and some wonderful athleticism that had the Bears players shaking their heads.
Evans was part of a high rotation off the interchange, but was part of the supply chain that allowed coach Angus Byrne to kick six goals and win both the Wilf Cox Medal and AFL Victoria Medal for best player on the ground.
The only sour note came with a serious knee injury to Sam Reid that had him leaving Deakin Reserve for treatment before the final siren sounded.
While the Murray Bombers’ stars shone, a defensive display from Curtis Townrow was similarly spectacular. While we don’t have full statistics just yet, his intercept marking was a feature of the day and he worked in tandem with the midfield to instigate attacks.
Echuca finished the game with 71 more disposals, 13 clearances and 25 more marks than the Bears, but in several of the remaining statistics there was not a lot of difference.
The Bears, in fact, had just two fewer forward 50 entries, further enhancing the performance of the Echuca defence. Echuca even had 11 fewer free kicks for the day, but umpiring certainly played no part in the end result.
Luke Smith kicked two goals to cap off an exceptional season and finals series, one which was rewarded with the Barry Connolly Medal for the Best Player in the GVL senior football finals series.
He finished the season with 52 goals from 22 games, 11 in the finals.
Liam Duguid, Connor Fleming and Ryan Ash finished among the best players, along with Smith and Morrison Medallist and ruckman Ash Holland.
Zac Metcalf, swung forward in the hope of providing a marking option, was the only other multiple goalkicker for the Bears.
Conversely, Echuca had Darby Jones (two goals), Tom Evans (two), Aiden Mills (two) and Liam Gronow (three) in support of coach Byrne’s bag of six.
Gronow finished the finals series with eight goals in three games, while the GVL’s Rising Star of 2026, Darby Jones, finished the season with 31 goals from 19 senior games.
Jack Evans capped off an exceptional season by displaying all his wares, defensive and attacking, repelling a number of Bears attacks with his long left-foot kicking.
RESERVES In the reserves game, Echuca kept the Bears to two goals in the first half, leading by 40 points at the long break. Despite both teams kicking six goals in the second half, Echuca was not challenged for its title.
Luke Edwards was named the winner of the Max Murley Medal for best player in the reserves finals series and also picked up the Peter “Buggs” Ryan Medal for best on ground in the grand final.
UNDER 18 Shepparton won the Under 18 title with a 30-point victory, 10.13 (73) to Echuca’s off-target 4.19 (43).
A GRADE NETBALL Euroa won the A Grade netball title, crushing Mooroopna’s dreams of breaking a 40-year premiership drought.
In a low-scoring final, Euroa led by one at quarter-time before extending the margin to eight at the long break.
Mooroopna responded to cut the margin to two at three-quarter time in a game where, to that point, just 50 goals had been scored. Euroa eventually won 38-32.
Euroa coach Ellie Warnock became a two-time premiership coach and was awarded best-on-court honours.
At the other end, Bec Colwell finished the season on 931 goals, with 28 in the grand final, while for Mooroopna, GVL Future Star winner Layla Ratcliffe shot 19 goals.
OTHER NETBALL GRAND FINALS Euroa also won the B Grade title, upsetting pre-game favourite Shepp Bears, who had beaten them by 20 in the second semi-final two weeks earlier.
Seymour won the B Reserve grand final, another upset as United had also beaten them in the play-in game.
Echuca won both the 17 & Under and 15 & Under titles.
Stars of those games were Kelly Hill (best on court, B Grade), Chloe Locke (best on court, B Reserve), Kate Head (best on court, 17 & Under) and Sadia Jones (best on court, 15 & Under).
Kyabram District League
The Nagambie Lakers Football Netball Club (94) became the Seniors Premiers over the Lancaster Football Netball Club (85) in the Kyabram District League Grand Final on Saturday, September 12. The Best on Ground wentto Blake Fothergill from Nagambie.
Shepparton East Football Netball Club (41) went back-to-back over the Lancaster Football Netball Club (36) in the A Grade Netball Grand Final. Kali Frost took home the Best on Court award.
