NCWL | Richardson, Lake boot seven each in Echuca’s big win

By Josh Huntly

May 3, 2022

Hard to stop: Jodie Lake booted seven goals in Sunday’s thumping win over Tatura. Photo: Steve Huntley Photo by Steve Huntley

Echuca’s Jayda Richardson and Jodie Lake ran amok down forward in round four of the Northern Country Women’s League as the club chases an elusive flag.

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A fixture quirk meant it was Echuca’s first game in three weeks, but the Murray Bombers didn’t skip a beat against Tatura, blasting the scoreless Bulldogs to the tune of 175 points to remain undefeated.

Richardson, in her first game of the season for Echuca, booted seven majors, while Lake’s seven-goal haul takes her tally to 17 after four games.

Remy Day (three goals) and Jacquelyn James provided slick supply out of the Murray Bombers’ midfield, while Kate Pearson snagged three goals of her own.

Anna Lucchesi, Jayme Hawthorne-Smith and Hayley Cooke were all named in the best for the besieged Bulldogs.

Victory sees Echuca move to the top of the NCWL rankings, and Murray Bombers coach Damian Dalziel was pleased with his side’s performance after a lengthy lay-off.

“Having Easter and then a bye, you’re never 100 per cent sure how you’re going to go,” Dalziel said.

“We started a bit slow but once we got going we had a really good game across the board.

“The result was big but Tatura were awesome all day, they just never gave up.”

Echuca had eight individual goal-kickers, but despite it booting 26 goals for the match, Dalziel noted one area that needed improvement.

“We sprayed a lot of opportunities as well. I think we kicked 19 points,” he said.

“It’s something we worked on at training last night and we’ll work on it again.”

Round four also marked the first time Echuca hit the park with a full 22-player squad this season.

“It’s the first week we’ve had a full bench,“ Dalziel said

“It was good to be able to run a few off the bench instead of relying on the girls on the ground to run all day.

“It’s good to have that two or three extra. They worked really well together.”

While Dalziel may seem a hard taskmaster on the accuracy front, the 2021 grand final coach knows his side will need every goal it can get this Sunday.

Echuca faces Nathalia in a blockbuster grand final rematch out on the Purples’ home park, with both sides coming into the clash undefeated.

It will serve as an opportunity for Echuca to banish its demons after capitulating to Nathalia in the 2021 decider, having gone through last year’s home-and-away season unbeaten.

“Half the side wasn’t in the grand final,” Dalziel said.

“There are probably nine girls who didn’t play in that game. It’s going to be a bit new for them.

“Obviously the tempo picks up, the physicality. It will be a good test to see where we’re at. Nathalia is a quality side.

“Up against Nathalia we want to capitalise because goals will be at a premium with those guys.”