One, in the ultimate triumph, the other in heartache.
In the space of a week, Echuca’s senior footballers’ return to the GVL finals was over, falling to a Bears side who would claim ultimate glory.
Days later, Echuca’s A grade netballers overcame an undefeated Shepparton Bears to write their names in the history books.
Nine months later, the two clubs will return to Deakin in very different positions.
In football, Echuca is now second only to the mighty Kyabram in the GVL, now desperate to add a big name to their growing list of wins for 2019.
At the other end of the ground, the reigning premier Bears are in the middle of the pack, jostling for position in the top six having lost to three of the finals fancies they have played.
For the Bears, a win would be a return to form, a statement against a team hunting the throne Shepparton holds.
For Echuca, this is in many ways a shot at redemption.
‘‘They ended our season and won the flag. We never got another shot at them,’’ Echuca co-coach Simon Maddox said.
‘‘You have to wait months to get another shot. It’s the reality of football, but it is something you think about.
‘‘But at the same time we are methodical in how we deal with things, we don’t circle names on the fixture at the start of the year, we focus on who is coming up next. We have faith in how we play, and are confident if we play our best football for a full 120 minutes then we can beat anyone.’’
While Echuca had the ultimate netball success a year ago, things aren’t quite the same in 2019.
The team has had two losses, one hugely out of character against Mooroopna.
Fittingly, the Bears have also fallen down, with the two sides sitting fourth and fifth on the ladder entering the contest.
Gina Pearson sees how close together these teams are, but not the last time they met.
‘‘They are very similar as a team to us,’’ she said.
‘‘They’ve had a couple of changes like we have, so I don’t think too much about (the premiership). I think more about what the result is likely to do for us and how it will set up our season going forward to get a win against another strong team.
‘‘We definitely want to beat them, we want to win every game, but the fact it’s a grand final rematch isn’t something we are thinking a lot about.’’
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