Echuca captain Kane Morris will be aiming to add another notch to his belt when he confronts gun Mansfield recurit Tom McDonagh at Victoria Park on Saturday in what is being touted as a clash between the two in form teams, and ruckmen, of the Goulburn Valley Football Netball League.
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The ruckmen have featured prominently in the opening three rounds of the season and despite a five season run without losing to Mansfield the match at Victoria Park on Saturday is expected to be the closest in recent memory.
McDonagh, recruited to Mansfield from Ovens and Murray league club Myrtleford, has featured in the best players for Mansfield in all of its three wins this season.
Echuca co-coach SImon Maddox said the form was worth noting as Mansfield had beaten Seymour and Euroa, along with Benalla, in those initial rounds.
“It looks like we are among the two form teams of the competition. I realise Mooroopna has won its first three games, but the form of Mansfield reads very strongly,” Maddox said.
“And despite the fact we beat them last year I really liked what I saw from them.”
Captain Morris has had successive weeks against ruckmen considered among the league’s best and on both occasions, according to Maddox, he has come out on top.
“Kane is in pretty good form himself. The match up between him and McDonagh could go a long way to deciding the game.
“They spend a lot of time in the ruck,” Maddox said, after studying a video of a Mansfield game from earlier in the season.
“We will find out how good he (McDonagh) is on Saturday.
“On the video he does not look as tall as Kane, but Mansfield they have their own commentators and they talk about him in glowing terms.
“He seems to be an important cog for them.”
In successive weeks Morris has matched up against Euroa’s Guy Smith, who Maddox considers among the league’s top big men, and then last week faced Zac Norris from Kyabram, who is the GV interleague ruckman.
“I thought Kane had the better of both of them,” Maddox said.
Echuca is unbeaten, although it only has eight premiership points, after matches against Euroa, Rochester and Kyabram.
An outcome of its appeal in relation to the loss of points from round one, when it was charged with playing ineligible players, will not be know until mid-May.
In the only meeting of Echuca and Mansfield last season Echuca was a 48-point winner, Sam Willoughby and Ruorky Kirky both kicking three goals in the win.
Mansfield finished last season with five wins and six defeats.
Maddox said the clubs usually met only once a year, in his and Andrew Walker’s coaching tenure, and he believed Echuca would face the strongest Mansfield team it has in recent memory.
“This is as strong as they have been in my time. They have beaten some good sides to start the season and they are coming here full of confidence,” he said.
“We don’t draw them twice too often, so this week will be important for us both.”
Maddox said Echuca’s form, while good, was farm from perfect.
“We have a bit to work on, but we are certainly getting our hands on the footy and getting it forward,” he said.
Maddox said Mansfield forward Paddy Marks was a player the Echuca brainstrust had earmarked for attention.
“He kicked some goals against us the last time we met,” he said.
“They have a couple of hard-nosed on ballers and after looking at the video appear to have a good cross section of young and old players.
“I was impressed with them last year. and they appear to be better again this year.
“Like us, by the results of their reserves, they look to have some depth at the club.
Maddox said the result of the Seymour game, when Mansfield “ran all over’’ its opposition, indicated they were extremely fit.
“They have to come and beat us here on our home deck and we will get a few back this week,” he said.
“Matt Lias will be back, along with Braidy Simpson and Tom Monaghan.”
Lias only missed the one game with the flu, but did not test positive for COVID-19.
Angus Byrne was back to 90 per cent fitness for last week and played a half at full forward in the reserves.
“We took the chance for him to get a game in, for qualification purposes, and he played full forward for a half,” Maddox said.
“It ticked a game off and gave him an unofficial fitness test.”
Byrne will be required to gain medical clearance from Geelong prior to stripping with Echuca this weekend.
“He must get medical clearance from Geelong before he can play. They will tell us whether they will pick him or whether he is available for us,” Maddox said.
“I know he is in contention to play at Geelong.”
With good competition for spots Maddox said it would be tough on the players who were omitted for the impending return of four senior players.
For the record the last occasion that Mansfield beat Echuca was Round 14 of the 2016 season.
It was a 72-point win for Mansfield in a season where both teams finished outside the top six.
The result in round six last season Echuca won 14.8 (92) to Mansfield 6.8 (44) at Victoria Park.
In 2019 Mansfield won only six games, losing 12, and were beaten by Echuca by just 17 points in round 11, 2019.
In 2018 Mansfield won nine and lost eight games, with one draw.
losing a semi final to eventual premier Shepparton — which later upset unbeaten Kyabram by two points — by 40 points.
In round 11, 2018, it was a 76-point win for Echuca.
In round 7, 2017, only 12 goals were scored in a five-point win for Echuca, then in round 18 of the same year Echuca won by 18 points.
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