Echuca United celebrated seven netball flags across various grades in the 2015 season.
In sport, when you get one team into a grand final after a season’s slog, you are pretty content.
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So imagine if you get seven teams into premiership deciders on the one day what the feeling is like around the club in the build up and then on the day.
That was the scenario in 2015 in Murray Netball League when Echuca United’s netballers did what most thought would be the impossible.
All seven United teams contesting premierships on that September grand final day at Moama won flags.
The A, B, C, C-reserve, under-15, under-13 and under-12 teams all rose to the occasion in what is a league record and an unforgettable day on the courts for the club.
Fiona Davis was president of the netball club at the time supported by a great committee at Echuca United and took time recently to reflect on the freakish outcome.
Echuca United's A-grade side.
“We were confident that we may have won a couple, even four (flags), but to win them all was unexpected, but so very exciting,” Davis said.
“Our B-grade team had the biggest challenge, facing the unbeaten Tongala, after a draw at the final siren, then into time on, and the girls played out of their skins and won the battle.
“After this we had six from six with A-grade to go and we started thinking ‘could this actually happen?, but it did.
“We didn’t forget to celebrate either.
“Grant (Matthews) was the head coach, coaching our A and B-grade sides and leading and supporting our team of coaches, and we had a great working relationship.”
Davis said Matthews, being a numbers man and a great strategist as a coach, approached her on grand final week, expressing a feeling of the possible outcome, which eventuated, which was particularly fitting as it was 21 years since the club was formed.
“We even had one player, Remy Day, who played in three premiership teams on the day,” she said.
“We thought at the time — ‘could this really be happening?’
“Grant, achieved Coach of the Year sporting award in 2016 in recognition of his feat and the club achieved the Team of the Year on the same night.
“To have seven out of eight grades represented on one grand final day and to come home with all seven premierships and seven Best Player in Finals, was an incredible achievement for one club, which could not have been achieved if we didn’t have the army of players, committee, supporters, families around us at that time.
“We are still pinching ourselves that we had the season of all seasons and we made history and broke all league records.
“The under-11s, even though scoring wasn’t a thing, they also had an unbeaten record for the season, but sadly our under-17s were part of a strong competition and failed to reach the grand final, but put together a very strong season.”
Echuca United's 12-and-under side.
Echuca United Football Netball Club will be reliving that memorable day in 2015 at the end of this month.
A 10-year reunion is being celebrated on May 31 when Echuca United takes on Rumbulara from 1pm.
“We are hoping as many past players, past and present committee members, families and supporters who were part of Echuca United’s history-making day will be in attendance,” Davis said.
For more information regarding the reunion, phone Fiona Davis on 0409 937 050.
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