Both Echuca and Rochester step things up a notch when they line up against one another, with neither side wanting to concede an inch in a rivalry steeped in history and tradition.
No doubt they will bring their best on Saturday when they face off in round five of the Goulburn Valley League season, but how do they stack up against each other with four rounds complete?
Echuca wins more of the ball, gathering 318 disposals per game compared to Rochester’s 273.8, but the Tigers are able to extract it from contested situations with more regularity, averaging 133.8 contested possessions compared to the Murray Bombers’ 120.3.
The clearance comparison is an intriguing one — while Rochester wins more clearances overall on average (39 to 37.5), Echuca gets first use at the centre bounce, winning 12 on average while Rochester averages a touch over eight.
Rochester is the second-best pressure side in the league, with an average pressure rating of 156, while Echuca’s rating sits at 134.8, and the tackle count also sees Rochester ahead (63.8 to 52).
The Murray Bombers’ game style sees them take the most uncontested marks across the league, averaging 92.5, staggeringly nearly 40 more than the 53.8 Rochester average.
While the two sides average roughly the same number of inside 50s, with Rochester slightly ahead (51.3 to Echuca’s 48.3), there remains a massive gulf in their ability to convert entries into goals.
Echuca averages 15.5 goals per game, meaning it kicks a goal 32.1 per cent of the time it enter its attacking 50, while Rochester averages just 9.5 goals per game for a conversion rate of 18.5 per cent per entry.
Echuca vs Rochester
Averages per game in 2024
Disposals: 318 vs 273.8
Contested possessions: 120.3 vs 133.8
Clearances: 37.5 vs 39
Centre clearances: 12 vs 8.3
Overall pressure: 134.8 vs 156
Tackles: 52 vs 63.8
Uncontested mark: 92.5 vs 53.8
Inside 50s: 48.3 vs 51.3
Goal % per inside 50: 32.1% vs 18.5%
Goals per game: 15.5 vs 9.5