The reigning premiers lost the lead late in the first quarter and had to fight all day in order to get it back.
But they did, ending up with a heart-stopping one goal win against Seymour.
And it may be a bigger victory than anyone is going to realise — a year ago a loss against Seymour set the ball rolling for the Bombers to become a premiership side, while this year it is a clear reminder they can match any top side .
For Echuca coach Gina Pearson, it was not an easy result.
‘‘It was very close,’’ she said.
‘‘It was a real touch and go game of netball. Both sides had opportunities to win the game and we were lucky enough to get there in the end.
‘‘I’m mostly pleased that we were able continue to fight it out as the game got tough. It was by no means easy for us, so to get the result we were hunting is a real credit to our side.’’
While the Bombers were able to make a late charge home to get the win, Pearson said a number of issues had been identified during the match.
‘‘We shot reasonably badly,’’ she said.
‘‘We missed a lot of shots. We also allowed Seymour to get a lot of offensive rebounds which is something we pride ourselves on.
‘‘Seymour are a really good side. They were one of the top performers in the 2018 season, they were a top three team and we believe they are going to be one again this season.’’
In typical Echuca style, Pearson didn’t stick to her opening game plan, swinging a raft of changes as the game went on to get the momentum back on Echuca’s terms, claiming victory after trailing at every change.
‘‘We had to make a couple of moves as the match played out, but we were able to respond and pull the lead back. It’s exactly what we want to be as a side, someone who can adapt to the play on the run and find other ways to win when things are going against us.’’
The Bombers are now headed towards an Easter Saturday showdown with Tatura at Victoria Park.
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