Grand final rematch.
Following the gut-wrenching, torturous manner of defeat in last season’s main decider, Euroa finally has its chance this Saturday to get its own back against Echuca.
And what a time to have a crack at the reigning premier.
Belinda Lees’ troops are reeling from a 42-goal shellacking at the hands of Mooroopna and sit in a miserly eighth position and, it’s hard to dance around the fact, an uncharacteristically dizzy Murray Bombers are suffering a premiership hangover.
Conversely, Euroa has laid waste to all in its path in the three games since last September’s dreaded four-goal grand final loss.
The Magpies’ latest run-out resulted in a 63-31 beating of Kyabram, where Olivia Morris was quite literally head and shoulders above the opposition defenders, drawing warm plaudits from coach Ellie Warnock.
Morris, who missed the bulk of last season due to a compound fracture, has begun with a hiss and a roar in 2024.
The rangy goaler officially leads the league shooting charts as the leaderboard lists Morris’s record as 135 goals from three games.
That’s not 100 per cent correct, though, as it has credited her for all 63 of Euroa’s goals against Kyabram.
Still, she easily ranks inside the competition’s deadliest shooters at the moment.
Curiously, one woman who hasn’t featured in the top five is Echuca spearhead goaler Sheridan Townrow and that’s because she hasn’t featured on the court at all.
Echuca has been hamstrung without two-time grand final MVP Townrow and her partner in crime inside the semi-circle, Lees, has played only once, during the Murray Bombers’ sole win in the season opener.
Warnock knows better than to read into Echuca’s 1-2 record and is battening down the hatches for a full-strength premier to arrive at Memorial Oval on Saturday.
“I always expect Echuca to be a really tough game, very challenging, but it’ll be a great grand final rematch,” she said.
“We expect all their players to be back (this) week and it’ll be really tough regardless, they’ve got so much experience and depth that whoever’s in is always a challenge.’’
Around the courts, unbeaten Shepparton eyes off its first real danger game away to Seymour, while Mooroopna, the other outfit with a perfect record similar to Euroa and the Bears, hosts Shepparton Swans.
The ever-accurate Ash Lancaster is expected to cause headaches for the Swans’ defenders, while Di Hanslow will hope to see more minutes out of Dayna Williams as she slowly eases her way back from injury.
Bar a draw, either Benalla or Mansfield will log their first points of the season when the sides meet in the high country, while Shepparton United can firm its spot inside the finals bracket by beating Kyabram.
Lastly, Rochester and Tatura duke it out in a tantalising top-six clash at Moon Oval.
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