Unbeaten Echuca flexed its muscles against Rochester in the qualifying final, held at Tatura Park on Saturday.
It was a cagey first half from both sides, and the sides went into the major break with just three total goals for their efforts, the Murray Bombers leading 15-9.
That all quickly changed after the interval as Corbin Anderson inspired his teammates with a six-goal explosion in the third, as Harry Barden, Fraser Brooks and Logan Orr also got in on the action for a 58-point quarter for Echuca.
The Tigers were stunned, and although Rochester did manage three goals to two in the final quarter, Echuca ran out big winners, 13.10 (88) to 5.7 (37).
Anderson finished with seven-goals total, while no other Murray Bomber picked up more than one.
For the Tigers, a balanced scoring performance saw Samuel Frawley, Duncan Hughes, Brook Perichon, Kyle Waters, and Corey Windridge each kick one.
Netball
B-grade
Echuca crashed out of the B-grade competition at the hands of Rochester, going down 29-45 to the Tigers in an elimination final.
Rochy went in favourites after finishing in third position to Echuca’s sixth, with the Tigers also boasting some A-grade experience, with a number of players floating between A- and B-grade this year to cover unavailability.
The Murray Bombers opened the scoring but Rochy quickly took over from there, jumping out to a 7-3 lead, improving to 11-6 by the first break.
Coming out of the interval, four straight from the Tigers put them even further in control, but Echuca had a response, reeling off five of its own.
Rochester got the best of the remainder of the quarter, leading by eight points at the half.
Another Tigers run early in the third quarter left Echuca with a further hill to climb and the game was starting to look out of reach by the final change, Rochester boasting a 34-23 advantage.
A back-and-forth final term saw the margin remain around 11 for much of the period, but the Tigers closed things out with six unanswered goals late in the term, eventually taking the match 45-29.
Morgan Dingwall (22 goals) and Payton Tiller (23) shared the scoring load evenly for the Tigers, while Jorja Oliver (18) did most of the work for the Murray Bombers, with support from Alexandra Murdoch (8) and Rose Byrne (3).
B-Reserve
Rochester was unable to get past undefeated Seymour in a close contest, but the Tigers will try to make use of their second chance fixture next weekend.
It was the Tigers who made the better start in the game, five straight goals breaking the deadlock late in the first quarter and giving them the lead at the break.
Seymour responded in the second period and a couple of missed opportunities of Rochester centre passes saw the Lions slowly inch towards and eventually past the Tigers, one goal the difference at half-time.
Rochester refused to go away and both sides were neck and neck in the third period, the margin just two goals in Seymour’s favour with a quarter to play.
In the end, the minor premiers proved why they have that distinction, putting together a composed fourth period to take the fixture 37-31.
Shallon Webb (20 goals) was the main scoring threat for Rochester, while Sahra Brooks (11) provided solid support.
Under-17s
The Tigers and Murray Bombers matched up again in an elimination final in the under-17s, but Echuca fared better than its B-grade counterparts on this occasion, defeating the Tigers 43-36 on Saturday.
Rochester started better in the contest, running down an early Echuca lead to hold a two-goal advantage at the first break.
The Murray Bombers reversed the scoreline in the second quarter, pegging back the Tigers and bringing a two-goal lead of their own into half-time.
While the third quarter was tight, Echuca had the momentum and managed to squeeze out a slight advantage, extending the margin to five in the term.
The Murray Bombers made an early run in the fourth, and held their nerve to claim the victory by seven goals.
Rochester’s Payton Tiller (25 goals) and Echuca’s Rose Byrne (29) both pulled double duty before the B-grade, leading their respective sides in scoring.
