YOU will rarely have a 30 degree day in the middle of April in Echuca.
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So with our native game being a winter sport, footballers aren’t used to playing in warmth.
That’s especially true when you are playing for the first time under a helmet protecting the ear you nearly had ripped off two weeks ago.
This was the story of Corey Gregg’s return to football.
“It was pretty warm under that thing,” Gregg said post game.
“But I tell you this – it’s a lot easier to manage it when your team is playing the kind of football we played today. You focus on what is going happening on the field.
“Tatura has been touted as a top three side by a lot of people and we want to be a top three side as well, so to come out and perform in the way we did is really pleasing for our football club.”
Gregg was appearing in his second match for Echuca, missing one week after suffering the severe injury in a contest during his club debut against Rochester.
Unlike his first match for the Murray Bombers – which lasted less than two minutes – Gregg played the entire match, showing why the club had recruited him in a strong performance across the ground.
After his performance in the opening round of the season – sacrificing his body for his new football club – Gregg was bound to become an instant hit with the faithful at Victoria Park.
By the end of his first hit out at home, Gregg had nothing but love for the people of Echuca.
“They get behind you all day and it gives you the extra 10 or 15 per cent,” he said.
“Especially in the final quarter, we were a little bit gassed due to the interchange being down and were trying to hold on, so to have the crowd really behind you and pushing you over the line is really special.
“The whole crowd was fantastic for us today and we absolutely loved being able to deliver them a win.”
Gregg said he had been looking forward to this week’s clash against Kyabram since signing with the football club.
“You want to come up against the best sides,” he said.
“We want to test where we’re at. We still have a lot of improvement to make, but it will be good to test where we are at against one of the best sides in football.”