Injury woes hamper Rochy in Echuca loss

However, an understrength line-up was unable to overcome the reigning premier, who arrested a three-game losing slide to get its premiership defence back on track.

First choice goal attack Teal Hocking and goal shooter Tia Webb were both sidelined with injury for the match, forcing the Tigers to deploy defender Jamie Dingwall in the goal circle and promote Jarrenhy Webb, who has been covering Hocking’s absence since round three, from the B-grade side.

“Against those two, (Echuca’s) Lauren (Jones) and Ash (Mangan), we knew it was going to be tough for those girls, but we were hoping that we could have put in a bit more of a show. We just didn’t play well either,” Rochester co-coach Linda Rasmussen said.

“I think the girls knowing that we didn’t have our shooters and the pressure of coming up against Echuca might have got to us a little bit.

“We were pretty disappointed with what we put out on the court, but it’s just a game of netball at the end of the day. We’ve got to forget it and move on.”

Rochester managed to remain in touch through the first quarter, trailing 12-8 after the first period.

The Murray Bombers then put their foot down in the second, winning the term 15-5 and opening up a 14-goal half-time advantage.

The defending champion continued to expand the lead through the second half, eventually winning 59-24.

With Tia Webb projected to be out for six weeks and Hocking still questionable for the foreseeable future, Rasmussen said the coaching group would formulate a plan for future fixtures.

“We're just going to have to sit down as a coaching group this week and reassess what we’re going to do,” she said.

“At the moment, it’s just survival for us. We’ve got heaps of girls that are injured and not playing and we’re just trying to work out what we can do as a club to survive these next few weeks.”

Rochester now has a 2-3 record this season. It hosts undefeated ladder-leader Mooroopna on Saturday.