Football
Youth Girls - Moama
What a difference can be made from one game to the next in a game of footy when you turn up with the right attitude.
Working hard for your team and your teammates goes a long way in both your own and your team's performance.
Moama was up against their cross-town rival Echuca United and wanted to put in a good performance.
Coach Matthew Mackay was pleased with every girl who played on the day as it was a real team effort.
With United playing its first full season, Moama was well aware of what it's like to be a new side.
After the game, coach Mackay urged the Echuca girls to keep practising, turning up to training and games and to enjoy themselves.
Moama jumped Echuca from the first bounce and never took its foot off the gas.
The players’ tackling, shepherding, talking, running and chasing were all noticeable, as all girls played their part in a variety of positions.
Some particular great games were played by Niah Bacon in the ruck, Shaleah Cooper on the ball, Charlotte McGillivray down forward, and Alivia Noonan on a wing.
Jayda Richardson's play-making and marking was also on point, as was Charli Dorrity's kicking, Jemika Cooper's dash from defence, and Payton Hearn's hard tackling.
These were all great signs moving forward for Moama with many of its younger players also playing great games as they continue to improve every week. The task now is to play at that level every week, with attitude the key.
Final score: Moama 20.19 (139) d Echuca United 0.0 (0)
Goals: C. Mcgilivaray 8, C. Dorrity 5, C. Jeffreys 2, E. Ham, K. Shannon, J. Richardson, K. Davidson, P. Hearn.
K. DBest:avidson, B. Church, A. Noonan, C. McGillivray, S. Cooper, N. Bacon.
Under 14 - Echuca Bombers
In the first quarter the football was strongly contested by both sides. Mooroopna was able to drive forward but Echuca’s defensive pressure was excellent to thwart the Cats’ attempts on goal.
Kristian Fitzsimmons was solid in rebounding the ball out of the back, while Ned Ash-Townrow was competitive all around the ground.
Mooroopna managed its first major halfway through the quarter which seemed to get its eye in for another four goals.
The Cats came out strong in the second term which gave them the opportunity to slot a major.
Echuca's Cody Walker took a strong mark and undisciplined defence put him in the goal square with a 50m penalty and a goal.
Liam Gronow’s pressure was rewarded, and an intercept mark saw him run into open goal. A scramble in the forward line saw Walker convert his second of the quarter under pressure to spur on the Bombers.
Gronow stood strong in a contest and collected the ground ball to kick his second off a snap. Ben Henson and Riley Carr’s pressure helped Echuca push forward with fierce tackling remain within six goals at the half.
Echuca returned to the ground with the same energy after half-time, and was consistently rewarded for strong tackling. Dhara Canham was strong in defence and applied pressure in every contest.
Sam O’Brien continued to dominate in the ruck throughout the game and Carr continued to tackle ferociously while Tom Oliver continued to push himself into the game.
Mooroopna came out strong in the fourth quarter, but Echuca’s intensity was high despite being 10 goals behind.
Bailee Smith continued to be aggressive in the forward line, while Charlie Kenna received a free kick in the pocket to slot the Bombers’ fifth goal.
Echuca managed to keep pressure on to trap the ball in their forward line and reward Fitzsimmons with a goal, who had played full-back most of the game.
He was rewarded again minutes later after crumbing a forward entry.
Final score: Mooroopna 19.11 (125) d Echuca 7.7 (50)
Best: C. Walker, L. Gronow, S. O’Brien, R. Carr, B. Smith, N. Ash-Townrow.
Goals: K. Fitzsimmons, L. Gronow, L. Kenna, C. Walker.
Under 12 - Echuca White
Echuca White travelled south to take on Echuca United Gold on a beautiful winter morning.
Captain for the day Arley Canham revved up his team by asking his players to “be first to the ball, look for a teammate in a better position, get your hands dirty and have a crack”.
A quick entry into the forward line allowed Henry Bell to swoop on the ball and pinpoint a kick to Toby Kennedy who didn’t let him down and put the ball straight through the big sticks.
United hit back strongly with two goals in a row before Bell chipped in with a great snap to lock up the scores at quarter-time.
The message from Gotchy and Birdy at the break was to "get your head over the ball and to use our speed and break the game open".
The second quarter started with some good hard footy by both teams. Kennedy got on the end of some great play for his second goal for the game before Will Hatfield slotted a major to extend Echuca’s lead. Harrison Whan continued to attack the ball hard from centre half-back while Canham was playing a captain's game, crashing packs and taking the game on.
A beautiful piece of play with a one-two handball by Lily Dunham and Sophie Jardine saw Echuca repel a forward attack just before the main break.
At half-time Birdy and Gotchy asked for more run from their players, and with this the team responded. Another quick goal to Bell and a wonderful display of team work through Hatfield and Charlie Gotch resulted in a George Allen goal from near outside the boundary.
United were not done with and pushed the ball forward continually with the Echuca backline of Charlie Voss, Jag Tarrant, Nate Ludlow, Walsh, White and Micalizzi, all holding firm and keeping the goals for United at bay.
At three-quarter-time the coaches asked for 15 minutes of pressure football, and Angus Tonkin fired up early to kick a ripping goal to open the term.
Paddy Oliver was not done either, making the grandstand wing his own by kicking the ball forward on both sides of the body.
With two minutes of play left, Charlie Voss snuck forward to snap truly and finish off a great team effort.
Awards: Angus Tonkin, Micalizzi, Henry Bell, Arley Canham, Charlie Gotch.
Under 10 - Echuca Murray Bombers
Echuca Murray Bombers came up against a fellow Echuca team, Echuca White.
The game began with fierce tackling from both teams.
Lachy Finn was driving the ball long from the middle where players like Finn Hughes and Tyler Martin worked overtime trying to hold the ball in and score. Eventually Hughes was able to mark and score a goal.
Hamish Leersen and Lachlan Cunningham roamed across the backline, repelling all Echuca White attacks while Charlie Flanigan and Blake Shandley led and presented hard in the forward line.
Thomas Schroeter was active in the forward line and turned on some individual magic, baulking several White players and kicking a team-lifting goal.
Fraser Nuttall continued to work hard in the forward line, getting himself in the right position as Hughes continued his strong forward form with multiple goals in the quarter.
Harry Hooper and Jack Gibson combined well in the middle through handballs and kicking into the forward line, as the Murray Bombers continued sharing the ball with players like Arli Walker and Blake Shandley in-and-under to bring other players into the action.
Finn and Riley Mills started the quarter strongly, moving the ball from the middle of the ground and flicking it to the waiting forwards of Leersen and Hooper.
The tackling pressure increased for both teams, though Cunningham broke free and sent the ball flying forward. Tyler Martin and Gibson worked tirelessly to hold their positions well and make themselves a target.
In the last quarter the ball was moving from end-to-end with all players giving their all. Hooper and Nuttall took charge of the backline, taking several marks on the last line of defence, while Mills created a target deep in the forward line and worked hard around the goals.
Flanigan and Schroeter worked together by sharing handballs and passing by foot, with Walker pushing hard to rebound the ball deep into attack all the way to the final siren.
Awards: Charlie Flanigan, Jack Gibson, Hamish Leersen, Frazah Nuttall, Blake Shandley.
Under 10 - Echuca Bombers
The opening quarter saw Bae Quayle and Harry Formosa blazing through the centre which allowed Levi Weeks to take an outstanding mark. Weeks then lined up for one of his countless goals for the night.
Captain Jobe Murphy was able to run down his Moama component with a strong tackle to ensure his team kept the pressure on.
A dedicated defensive line up of Harry Emmerson, Ged Canham and Jimmy Kervin kept Moama on their toes.
Emmerson once again proved he was the king of tackles, bringing any Moama player in arms reach to their knees.
Moama came out strong in the second quarter, manning up to ensure Tom Arthurson was locked down.
Jaxon Key stepped up, taking a huge mark before passing off to Arthurson, whose attempt for goal fell short. Murphy was left to scramble for the ball with a kick sending the ball through for a goal.
The backline kept Moama at bay with midfielders Max Gill, Harry Formosa and Joey Lowry showing great team work, with support and encouragement from Ned O’Neale.
The third quarter saw Jimmy Kervin play hard in goals with strong support from fill-ins Ky Rankin and Reeve Sellers, while Quayle, Key and Murphy were all over Moama, closing them down again and again.
Coach Craig Canham encouraged Canham and Emmerson to bring their “tackle eyes” to the fourth quarter and they didn’t let him down.
Emmerson came screaming out of half-back with Joey Lowry pulling out all stops to get the ball towards the goals. The third attempt proved a winner for Key as his goal sailed through.
All the teamwork Echuca showed throughout the game allowed for a strong, even game with Moama proving they could hold their own.
Awards: Jobe Murphy, Harry Formosa, Max Gill, Ged Canham.
Under 10 - Echuca Green
Echuca Green's under 10 "Green Machines" took on Kyabram Red on the road on Sunday morning, with captain of the week Taj Maddox leading by example with some solid defence and a great goal.
Kai Rankin, Logan O'Meara and Grace Napier worked hard in the middle with plenty of clearing kicks into the forward line. Napier was ruthless with her second and third attempts on the ball which forced errors from the opposition and created turn overs for the Green Team.
Xavier Mai, Lochy Field and Arli Walker were like a pack of hyenas on attack, determined to get the ball to their teammates with Reeve Sellars, Jobe Williams, Billy Quirk, Rankin, O'Meara, Mai and Walker working hard with a slippery ball to kick a bag of sensational first half goals.
At the half-time break, coach Josh Rankins praised the team for their selfless play and great team work. It was also noted all players worked hard to stay on their feet throughout the whole game.
With the team fired up and ready to extend their lead after the break, Alfie Lloyd and Casey Kirk stepped up their offence and looked for players to connect great kicks with. Some hard tackles from Williams and great shepherds from Sellars and Mai helped captain Taj, along with Walker and O'Meara, sailed a few more through the big sticks.
At full time, coach Rankins spoke highly of everyone’s effort to include all players on the field and kick to an open player. Special mention to Billy Sutton and Arli Walker for helping to make up numbers this week.
Awards: Grace Napier, Xavier Mai, Logan O’Meara.
Under 10 - Moama Black
Moama Black's under 10s took on Kyabram Black on a sunny Sunday morning at Kyabram. It was a hard-fought game with two evenly matched teams.
The first quarter was played mostly on the ground with handballs being a particularly prominent means of disposal as Kyabram laid some great tackles.
Moama picked up the pace with a freer flowing second and third quarter, with great skills shown by the midfield to help Moama hit the scoreboard.
Kyabram then tested Moama’s backline in the fourth quarter with some great marking and kicks to goal as both teams never gave up and pushed themselves to the very end.
Awards: X. Eldridge, J. Greentree, T. Palmer.
Goals: X. Eldridge, T. Palmer, H. Teasdale.
Netball
Echuca B grade
Final score: Echuca 57 d Euroa 37
Echuca B reserve
It was great to be playing after a four-week break, with players quickly settling into a rhythm and tight defence from Molly, Jess and Tina creating many turnovers.
Lucy and Erin pace and defensive pressure was impressive, while Jordan and Kelsey's work in the ring was fluent and accurate.
Jacqui, Lucy and Jenna's midcourt pressure had a huge impact particularly with movement into offence.
Final score: Echuca 67 d Euroa 22
Best: Jordy Townrow, Lucy Eishold, Tina Rankin.
Echuca under 17
Sinking five goals before Euroa could put their first score on the board, Echuca's under 17 side went on to record a big win.
And although the side was winning by a large margin, they didn’t lose enthusiasm and continued to stick to their game structures.
It may have been an easy win for the 17s, but nonetheless the big positive out of the day was watching team sport up and running again.
Congratulations to Claudia Sampson on her milestone, playing her 50th game for the Echuca Football Netball Club.
Final score: Echuca 83 d Euroa 13
Best: Lilli Oliver, Maia Roberts, Halle Gray.
Echuca under 15
It was wonderful to be able to make the journey across to Euroa and be back playing netball again. After a chilly start Echuca showed great depth and versatility against Euroa.
The game allowed some of the ‘Baby Bombers’ to move to different playing positions throughout the game.
Overall, Echuca were too strong for the Magpies, in what was a fantastic team effort.
Final score: Echuca 50 d Euroa 25
Best: Roxi Clarke, Maisy Bryne, Sienna Westblade.
Echuca United B grade
Country roads took us home to a win this week. It was a good hit out with Congupna.
Final score: United 45 d Congupna 29
Awards: Georgia McGowan, Dakota Lucic.
Echuca United C grade
A really strong and determined United team took an easy win in perfect conditions.
Final score: United 52 d Congupna 33
Awards: Caity Lourey, Kiarna Denahy, Libby Bell.
Echuca United C reserve
A terrific win by the Eagles with fantastic passages of play right from the defensive end to the attackers. It was a great effort by all with special mention to Georgia Denny for her amazing work in defence.
Final score: United 38 d Congupna 24
Awards: Alice McMahon, Georgia Denny, Nicole James.
Echuca United under 17
It was a great game from the under 17 team, with players changing positions without fault and skills continuing to improve every week.
Final score: United 36 d Congupna 12
Awards: Kallarnhey Turner, Kate Parker.