Echuca enters the back half of the 2025 Goulburn Valley League football season in third position on the ladder and in the flag mix after mauling Mooroopna in round nine.
Despite an eventual 45-point victory at their home of Victoria Park, the Murray Bombers were put firmly on the back foot through the first quarter.
The Cats jumped out to a 26-point first break lead courtesy of a frenetic six-goal barrage, while Echuca took the time to calibrate its aim in front of goal, posting 1.4.
That first quarter blitz would be the last time Mooroopna would kick a goal in the contest as the Murray Bombers tightened the screws on their bear-trap defence.
In true Echuca fashion, the green machine (2.3) steadily improved throughout the contest, while the Cats hit a sharp decline in the second period, adding five behinds to their tally.
Despite a goalless stretch in the lead-up to half-time, Mooroopna still held a slim, six-point lead in enemy territory.
However, it didn’t take long for the three-time defending champion to flip the game on its head.
The Murray Bombers snatched the lead for the first time in the game halfway through the third period and went on to push it out to 13 due to its four goals, six behinds.
Meanwhile, the Cats struggled majorly inside 50, heading into the final turn with one behind added to their score.
Echuca closed out the contest in clinical fashion, kicking more majors (5) than behinds (3) for the first time in the game while locking down any sniff at a Cats comeback.
The 12.16 (88) to 6.7 (43) victory was led by the experience of Sam Reid, Curtis Townrow and Cameron Valentine, with the trio of veterans propping up a still hobbled Echuca unit.
Joe Guiney also got his first best-player inclusion for the season for his efforts.
Round nine also marked Say No to Violence round, the senior footballers and A-grade netballers paying respect to the occasion ahead of their respective fixtures.
The Murray Bombers will have a prime opportunity to potentially leapfrog Rochester back into the top two when they face Shepparton United in round 10.
The Game
Scores
Echuca: 1.4, 3.7, 7.13, 12.16 (88)
Mooroopna: 6.0, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7 (43)
Goals
Echuca: Cameron Valentine 3, Sam Reid 2, Liam Tenace 2, Samuel Edgar, Jack Evans, Will Monahan, Riley Smith, Mitchell Wales
Mooroopna: Nathan Drummond 2, Oscar Emanuelli, Ben Hicks, Mitchell White, Toby Williams
Best
Echuca: Sam Reid, Curtis Townrow, Liam Tenace, Cameron Valentine, Joe Guiney
Mooroopna: Jed Woods, MacKenzie Calleja, Rory Huggard, Nathan Drummond, Will Wood