Echuca
Under-10 Bombers vs Moama White
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Echuca Bombers lined up against the undefeated Moama White. Eddie Eade and Luca Micalizzi were relentless in defence throughout the first quarter as Moama fought hard to try and get on the board.
Edward Melville tackled well through the centre and Blake Chandley came out with the ball many a time from the pack to help keep us even. Hugh Napier took some excellent marks up forward, as did teammate Jasper Dedini. Jude Micalizzi and Ryder Retallick teamed up for our first goal.
Lachy Finn played a solid second quarter at half-back and gave us numerous turnovers. Jolie Masters showed how hard she has been training with great consistency in the centre and took multiple marks in the second half. Harry Hooper scored a big one with speed and determination.
Will Harcoan was solid up forward in the second quarter and then moved to the back line in the third, consistently rebounding the ball back towards goals. Edward Melville took a spectacular mark to save a goal and feed it down through Hunter Colless and Hunter Jones in a great display of skills.
The last quarter saw Moama White come out firing and put our defence line to the test. Finn Butterworth had clean ball handling skills across the centre, feeding forward where Hunter Jones got our last goal of the game. It was a tough night on the field for both teams, but well done!
— Contributed
Under-10 White vs Runnymeade
Echuca White headed to Elmore to take on Runnymede Blue. Jordan got the team off to a great start by winning the toss.
With Runnymede short a few players, Echuca White rotated its players and had two playing for Runnymede each quarter. Great sportsmanship, boys. Well done and you should be proud as you all played like you were part of the Runnymede team.
There were some magnificent goals from Tom Reynolds, Jaxon Key, Blake Auld, Nate Leo, Jordan Moodie and Ollie Brighton. Seth Oliver, Jack Bateson and Riley Mills all worked hard and took some great marks.
Harry ‘Nugget’ Saunders, Harrison Heward and Ned O'Neale laid some good tackles, not to mention the strong defence by Jett Plattfuss and Kai Maddox in the back line.
Well done Echuca White on a great game and great sportsmanship by all. This was also noticed by the Runnymede coach and umpire who also congratulated the team after the game
Awards: Ned O'Neale, Tom Reynolds, Jett Plattfuss, Harry ‘Nugget’ Saunders, Nate Leo and Riley Mills
— By Mel Pyle
Under-12 Green vs Moama White
Moama White played Echuca Green under the lights on Friday night at Brick Alley Oval.
Echuca came out strong in the first quarter, with its midfielders controlling play in the centre and pushing the ball forward with accuracy. Echuca’s Lachie Jeffries kicked the first goal, followed by a goal from Jobe Murphy. Sam Henson and Paddy Kenna also scored behinds.
Unfortunately, Logan O’Meara was injured and was off for the rest of the match.
In the second quarter, Echuca’s defence was tested as Moama tried to move the ball forward with some impressive kicks and strong marks from Deegan Leo and Nick O’Meara. Echuca continued to take advantage of scoring opportunities, with behinds to Reeve Sellars, Tom Arthurson, Tor Kenley and Jobe Murphy.
Both teams showed great skills in the third quarter, with Paddy Kenna, Angus Tonkin, Lachlan Cunningham, Jimmy Kervin and Ryder Colless putting the pressure on when it counted. Some strong tackling and marking in the back line by Jack Miller, Mannix Gray and Scout Mitchell made it difficult for either team to score.
In the final quarter, Echuca’s forward line including Billy Sutton worked hard to find scoring opportunities, but was tested by Moama’s defenders. Moama’s midfielders and forwards also finished strongly with a goal late in the quarter.
Well done to Echuca Green in a well fought match. Coach’s awards went to Tom Arthurson, Tor Kenley, Reeve Sellars and Nick O’Meara.
— By Jane Millar
Under-12 Bombers vs Leitchville-Gunbower
We made the trek out to Gunbower to play on the mighty Gunbower oval.
The Leitchy/Gunny team was much improved from our first encounter and showed brilliant running skills as it shot out to a lead.
Taj continued to impress in the ruck against a bigger opponent, and with some good build-up, Harry scored a settling goal. Swiggsy was everywhere and getting plenty of the football, using her blistering speed. Joey and Gus were laying some bruising tackles and keeping the pressure on.
Nate Murphy started the second term with a magnificent tackle that really fired up the Bombers. Nate continued with his strong tackling form with several multiple efforts, winning the ball and sending us forward.
The team’s tackling pressure was at a very high level. Ducky, Cookie and Grace Napier were putting huge pressure on their players, and Arli was rewarded with a free kick for a brilliant tackle. The forward pressure was strong too with Kai and Jagger working very hard to keep the ball locked in our forward 50.
Sam McCleary was leading really well in the forward line. Charlie played a brilliant lone hand against three opponents to save a certain goal, and Jobe was really strong in defence as well.
One standout play was when a long kick came into our forward line and Immy brilliantly tapped the contest to ground straight to Cookie, who goaled. Clinical stuff, and well done Immy.
Jagger was playing a great game, patrolling the half-forward line, swooping in on the loose ball and spearing several passes in deep. Connor got on the end of some of these and did well pushing forward.
Curtis was running hard and combined with Ducky and Gus to form a wall across half-back. Lily was marshalling the troops across the backline too, which kept everyone in position.
Arli Walker had been just fantastic all night with continued second efforts and hard running, but especially impressive was his laser-like passing into the forward line, hitting targets in space. It was a joy to watch.
Scores were all square at three-quarter time, and coach Mark gave just the right rev-up as the Bombers came out and had a sensational final term to run over the top. Joey had a great quarter with some big tackles and bumps. Charlie took four marks in a row as the ball threatened to bounce back, then some excellent link-up plays from Nate, Harry and Kai, and Joey, Ducky, Connor and Arli. Jed also snapped a classic crumbing goal.
Harry marked well, went back and launched a big barrel through for a goal as the team went mad, and Nate had one of his best games this year, combining silky skills with some crunching tackles. Well done, Nate.
It was a hard-fought win against a strong Leitchy/Gunny side. Thanks again to all coaches, umpires, runners and supporters. Well done, Bombers.
— By Iain McCleary
Under-15 vs Seymour
The fog cleared just in time for Echuca to welcome Seymour, with both teams sitting fairly close on the ladder.
Echuca had a great start to the game, with Jett Kervin kicking the first major. Echuca displayed good forward movement and was able to maintain pressure in its forward half. Albert Cunningham was hard to contain, and Riley Chivers-Sellings was too strong for his Seymour opponent.
Echuca worked hard to deny Seymour any scoring opportunities creating a nice buffer at quarter-time.
Seymour came out firing in the second quarter, with plenty of forward entries. Riley Carr was holding strong in defence and Archer Weeks was creating opportunities through strong tackles.
Jett Kervin and Campbell Orr were combining well to keep possession, while Dhara Canham had the ball on a string.
Echuca held a solid lead at the main break, ahead of a closely contested third quarter which saw Seymour placing plenty of pressure on Echuca’s defence.
Charlie Kenna was working hard in the ruck, while Cunningham capitalised on some undisciplined play by Seymour to kick his second goal. Although outscored, Echuca was able to hold on to a comfortable lead going into the final quarter.
Seymour came out very strong, kicking the first two goals of the quarter. Riley Chivers-Sellings was able to snap another goal to give the Bombers some breathing room. Luke Ollermann was a standout throughout the game, kicking two more goals in the final quarter. It was a great team effort by the Bombers to emerge victorious by 41 points over strong competition.
Best players: Luke Ollermann, Jett Kervin, Riley Chivers-Sellings, Riley Carr and Albert Cunningham.
Echuca 14.10 (94) d Seymour 8.5 (53).
— By Jason Carlile
Echuca United
Under-17 vs Deniliquin Rams
A foggy day greeted us for the top-four clash against Deni at the Rams’ home ground. Coming off a solid win the previous week, the under-17s are striving to bring a consistent level of performance each week, regardless of the team composition.
It was a tight opening term with only nine points the difference at the first siren. Hunter and Barney were proving a handful for the Deni defence and Ben Gilsenan embraced the role as a pressure forward trying to lock the ball in our front half.
At the main break, a handy 16-point lead could have been a bit better had we kicked straight, but the Rams continued to pressure us all over the ground. Chappy and Godders worked tirelessly out on the wings giving us hard running in both directions.
The third quarter was an arm wrestle. Maisyn cracked in hard again all day and Rizzer did what Rizzer does, repelling the Rams’ forward thrusts, intercepting at will and giving us great direction and drive from defence.
We managed to hold our opponents scoreless in the final term to record a well-earned 38-point win.
Awards: Rich River Golf Club — Sam Chapman; Intersport Echuca — Maisyn Douglas; The Atrium Hair Lounge — Ryan Stobaus; Roma Pizza — Ben Gilsenan; Murray Valley Driver Education — Riley Godfrey; Hip Pocket Towel — Bryce Barnstable.
— By Garet Stobaus
Moama
Under-10 Red vs Echuca United Eagles Gold
Moama Red was reunited at United on Friday night on a mild winter’s eve. The Pies were eager to put their training skills to the test against Echuca United Eagles Gold.
It proved to be a strong contest between the two teams, with United Gold initially having speed on its side. In the first half, Connor Richardson demonstrated his prowess on the field, taking two impressive marks well beyond his years.
Judd Morgan continued his domination once again this week, demonstrating his versatility across the field, taking a screamer followed by an outstanding mark on the run that set the team up for a couple of early goals.
Many of the players are beginning to demonstrate the skill of shepherding, with Health Clarke being a great role model for his teammates, creating a clear run towards goal.
Chloe Ryan was a true team player, sharing the ball around by seeking other players who were on the periphery of play. Special mention to Brant Haw, who kicked four goals for the game. It was an extraordinary achievement.
Both Clinton McKee, Darius Keam and Ace Rogers played solid games showing significant improvement in all areas, in particular their strong marking performance. Henry Mathers, Murphy Carter and Shaylah Hinds’ handball skills are continuing to improve each week.
A great specky from Ted deep in last quarter sealed the deal for the Pies with Judd booting an almighty kick from the middle of the ground to score the final goal of the match. Lincoln Cleathero, Ryder Wilson and Jonty Carfoot were keen contributors to the game, demonstrating exceptional sportsmanship by regularly encouraging and complimenting their teammates on their efforts.
It was a standout performance from Hamish McDonald who played with determination and skill throughout the game. Congratulations to Hamish, Chloe Ryan, Brant Haw and Shaylah Hinds, who were this week’s award winners. Goal-kickers this week were Chloe Ryan, Connor Richardson, Heath Clarke, Judd Morgan, Brant Haw and Ted Palmer.
A special thank you to our very talented fill in coaches Ted Palmer and Sam Richardson, along with Tiff Haw, who always does a great job as the team’s first aider, and Jo Morgan for keeping us all organised and informed as our team manager.
— By Anthea Mathers
Contributed content