Magpies respond to Eagles challenge in show of strength

It’s as much psychological as it is physical, and it takes a strong team to wrestle that momentum back.

And Moama showed it is strong.

The Magpies claimed the 15.11 (101) to 9.5 (59) win over Echuca United in the Three Jacks Trophy clash, although the margin distorts just how hard they were made to work for it.

After a scrappy and contested start to the game, the Pies asserted themselves in the second half of the quarter, moving the ball at will off half-back, while some strong marking overhead from Jobe Shanahan allowed his side to generate repeat entries inside-50.

Moama enjoyed a 22-point lead at quarter-time, keeping Echuca United goalless, but things evened up in the second term, as the Eagles lifted their intensity at the contest and went goal-for-goal with the home side, entering the main break still down 22 points.

A Moama goal to Tom Sheldon started the second half, which was matched shortly after by Eagles young gun Ollie Poole, who showed flashes of the brilliance that holds him in such high regard at the Bendigo Pioneers.

Moama was back on top at the stoppages, led by Jack Russell and young gun Lachlan Hogan, who displayed a tough edge, and seemed to be dominating on the ground without doing so on the scoreboard.

But in an instant, the game shifted, with James Harney receiving a free kick inside-50 and converting the goal to cut the margin to 18.

For the next 10 minutes, everything went the way of the Eagles, who ran freely and found space on the spread that hadn’t been there before.

A kickout after a Moama behind was sent inside the Eagles’ 50 in two possessions, eventually resulting in a Jesse Garner goal.

And when Moama turned the ball over inside defensive-50 a few minutes later, Darcy Ramage took his opportunity and slotted the major to move the Eagles to within six points.

The crowd became increasingly vocal, and Moama seemed — at least momentarily — unable to stop the onslaught.

But as all good sides do, Moama found a way to respond, with goals to Tom Sheldon and Mitch Lake within a minute of three-quarter-time arresting the momentum and giving Moama the upper hand once more.

With the margin at 18 points, the Eagles were well and truly in the game, but as coach Sam Sheldon reminded his players in the huddle at the final break, Moama “love going to war”.

It was Jack Russell and Jack Sheldon who did the damage in the last quarter, dominating at the coalface and denying the Eagles any chance of getting their hands on the footy.

“Us blokes in the middle, we're a bit undersized in the ruck,” Russell said.

“So it's see ball, get ball, and we reckon we can out-physical sides. One bloke barrels in and then we just set up from there, and just rotate who's getting in there.”

Russell’s influence out of the middle was monumental in stopping Echuca United’s run, as his side refused to concede defeat, eventually pushing the margin out to 42 points.

“We've been in a few close ones throughout the last two years with a similar list,” he said.

“A couple years ago, we probably roll over when a side has a go at us, but now we're all a bit more mature and we know just to lock on and reset and just go again."

Russell and Sheldon were aided by Jobe Shanahan’s aerial presence up forward, with the rising star earning the Teasdale award as best-on-ground, while Tom Sheldon’s cameo at full-forward netted another six goals.

Conversely, the Eagles struggled with a lack of maturity, losing structure and being unable to sustain the pressure they brought in the third term for the full four quarters, according to coach Farran Priest.

“It's honestly probably a combination of both, to be fair,” he said.

“Look at the third quarter, we gave up two late goals in the third quarter. Red time, what do we do, we probably should lock down, and we tried doing that.

“If we don't give up those two goals it's six points at three quarter time, and things change."

Dane Leyden earned praise from Priest for his “never-say-die attitude” in the middle, while 17-year-old Nash Ramage dominated in the ruck for the Eagles all day despite giving up a massive weight advantage.

The Eagles will take on Deniliquin next weekend at home, in what shapes as a good battle between two sides in a similar ladder position.

Moama has pushed itself up into third on the ladder with the win, just four points behind Numurkah in second, with a trip to Tocumwal ahead next week.