The Emus put on a dominant display, kicking 16 goals to Murray’s one to claim a 16.15 (111) to 1.5 (11) victory at Echuca South Recreation Reserve.
New recruit Bradley Hallum kicked four goals for the Emus, while Francis O'Brien, Troy Arlow and Clinton Jurey each had two.
Jeffrey Abela is at the helm for the Emus this season and he said the win was a splendid way to start the season.
“The boys played a great game,” Abela said.
“I was pretty impressed with the way the boys went about it.”
His side kicked five goals to the Crays’ one in the first half, before really hitting their stride after the break.
“We were probably a little bit slow in the first half,” he said.
“We had a bit of a chat at half-time about coming back to basics and doing what we trained to do and away we went. We had a really good second half.”
The Emus kicked 11 unanswered goals in the second half on the way to their triple-digit win.
Francis O’Brien provided one of the highlights of the game, soaring to take a great pack mark at centre-half forward before booting a goal just before three-quarter time.
Abela said Mark Battiscombe was the best on ground, with the midfielder putting in an impressive performance in his Emus debut.
“It was his first game for the club and he just absolutely tore it up all day,” Abela said.
“A lot of our new recruits went really well, we thought. Phil Arnott is one of our other new recruits, he was sensational off half-back with Josh Hunter.”
Abela said the backline held up well, highlighting captain Damian Hammond and Oliver Oranje as two of the standouts.
He said Justin Voss and Troy Ramsay had good games in the midfield, while also praising Hallum, Jurey and Arlow.
After a long off season, Abela said it was great for the Emus to be back out on the footy field.
“It was just the enjoyment of getting around and playing with your mates,” he said. “That’s what we’re all about — we are all about playing with your mates and everyone playing as a team.
“It was just good to get out there and have a kick-around at the park and just enjoy our footy again.”
The Emus will have their second home game in as many weeks when take on Sunbury Lions at 5.30pm this Saturday at Echuca South Recreation Reserve.
