The Murray Bombers were forced to play catch up from the get-go as the Magpies made the most of their opportunities under the ring.
When Echuca did threaten to get back into the contest with a run of goals, Euroa’s defensive pressure lifted accordingly, shutting down every avenue of approach and simply choking off supply as the Murray Bombers could no longer find a way through, scoring just 26 goals for the day to Euroa’s 36.
Despite the loss, coach Karlie Steven said she will be able to look back on the season with a smile on her face.
“It is an achievement to reach the grand final and we couldn’t be happier for how the girls have done this year,” she said.
“They’ve worked really hard to get here but unfortunately we weren’t able to play our best game today and Euroa did.
“The biggest thing we’ve realised this year is how hard work can pay off for a team.
“We’ve had a lot of hurdles to overcome along the way but we’ve continued to come through.
“During the year we had a lot of players come in and out, which sometimes made it difficult to settle on a line-up.
“To overcome those challenges is a real credit to the players.”
Despite the result looking well beyond doubt in the final quarter, Echuca continued to will themselves to every loose ball.
But what impressed Stevens most was how every player was committed to the cause.
“We used plenty of players and got lots of good rotations throughout the game,” she said.
“I thought our work rate was second to none, even when it did look like we were going to be on the wrong end of the result.”