Echuca wasn’t at its best early against Shepparton, a trend which has become prevalent late in the year. Photo: Megan Fisher
Echuca progressed comfortably to the qualifying final against Shepparton on Saturday, but the scoreline belies what was a close call for the Murray Bombers.
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Echuca trailed at all three breaks before an eight-goal barrage in the fourth secured the 35-point win.
Rather than focus on that final period, which was a return to the norm for the dominant minor premier, today the focus is on the first term, where Shepparton scored the vast majority of its points in the game.
It is hard to criticise a side that has won 18 of its 19 games this season, but given Echuca’s dominance, it has been prone to lethargic first quarters at times this season, particularly in recent weeks.
The Murray Bombers have trailed at quarter-time on five occasions this season — first in their eventual loss to Rochester in round five and then in rounds 13, 16, 18 and Saturday’s semi-final.
Although Echuca has gone on to post comfortable wins in each of those final four fixtures, their grouping towards the back third of the year could be cause for concern.
Echuca has also led by 10 or fewer points at quarter-time in three games this season, which for a side with a 237.36 overall percentage represents a below-average start.
Using Saturday’s semi-final as a case study, let’s analyse some of the potential causes of the Murray Bombers’ slow starts.
Echuca was generally down on efficiency from its season marks at the weekend, but this was especially true in the first quarter.
The minor premier found the mark with just 61 per cent of its disposals, compared to 65 per cent for the game, with handballs a particular concern at just 70 per cent effectiveness (79 per cent for the game).
Wayward disposals resulted in more free possession for Shepparton, with the Bears taking nine of their total 23 intercept marks in quarter one
Hitouts were generally even overall, 40-42 in the Bears’ favour, but in the first quarter, Shepparton had a big lead in the ruck.
The Deakin Reserve natives led the count 15-8 in the first period, resulting in more possessions and an even clearance count for the quarter, with Echuca winning the clearance battle by 11 over the full game.
Echuca’s 17 midfield turnovers in the quarter were pounced on by the Bears, who kicked three goals from them, and a total of 5.2 (32) (60 per cent of their total score) from first-quarter turnovers.
Whatever the cause, the Murray Bombers will be looking to rectify their first-quarter sluggishness with a third consecutive flag in the offing.
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