Goulburn Valley League welcomes in Anzac Round as big contests loom

Underscoring all of those factors is the league honouring Anzac Round, with tribute ceremonies planned at all six venues on Saturday.

Earning surefire top billing this week on the fields is Euroa’s meeting at home to Echuca, a 2022 grand final rematch and a test of two of the league’s 3-0 sides.

Both sides have personnel changes to consider, with Jack McKernan and Ryan Pendlebury suspended for the Magpies, while Echuca could lose multiple starters to VFL commitments.

Both sides were stretched virtually to their limits in keeping their respective perfect starts to 2024 alive, with Euroa triumphing by a few metres in a Saturday night slog away at Kyabram.

The two-time defending premiers Murray Bombers, meanwhile, found themselves challenged to an extent few have mustered up in recent seasons in a tight victory over a gallant Mooroopna.

With one multiple goal-kicker in Euroa’s three-point win last weekend — which you can watch the conclusion of — skipper Jacob Gleeson stood up as the likely danger man in Echuca’s sights with an enormous midfield shift.

Gleeson’s 10 inside 50s were twice the amount of any other Magpie in that thriller, which nicely complemented his 18 contested possessions and seven clearances in a highly productive outing.

In Echuca’s green, Angus Byrne’s offensive output has stood out among the Murray Bombers’ main contributors.

Byrne leads the competition in goal involvements as well as overall score involvements, with his 12 goals second only to Mooroopna juggernaut Daniel Johnston.

Though their match-up last weekend hardly proved to be Gary Ablett Sr against Paul Salmon in 1993 as hoped, his presence is one to beware of for stand-in Euroa coach Neale Poole.

“(Echuca’s) whole forward set-up is something we’re trying to contain,” Poole said.

“Our main focus isn’t so much matching up on Angus, but making sure our defenders have a chance to get the ball to ground.

“Our defence has probably been the best-functioning of the three zones, so we’ll focus on team defence.

“It’s a bit of a differently shaped ground to theirs, so we want to push them as hard as we can and deliver a high-pressure game.

“We’ve been able to keep them contained (in recent meetings), but can’t kick a winning score ourselves, so we hope to keep them to a low score and get enough on the board to win.”

Up north, Echuca co-coach Simon Maddox understands the gravity of the challenge awaiting his side on what he suggests is the league’s toughest road trip.

“We’ll be a little bit undermanned, as we were last week, but we’ve got good guys in reserves knocking on the door and we’ll go over there hoping to get the job done,” Maddox said.

“Mooroopna played pretty well last week, to their credit, and Euroa’s difficult to get over in the last two or three years, particularly out there.

“They’ll be hungry on their home deck, so we’re expecting a red-hot battle; every time we’ve played there the last three or four years has been a ripping game of football.

“They’re even across the board, but we’ll worry about our own backyard. If we get that right, the opposition will have trouble curtailing us.

“I’ll be happy just to walk away with the four points if we can.”

The other undefeated side in the competition is Shepparton (3-0), which makes a trip to the south side to take on a Seymour (0-2) side that shockingly sits alone at the bottom following defeat to the Swans last weekend.

Mansfield (2-2) has a significant opportunity to turn a demoralising start to 2024 into a positive record when it welcomes Benalla (0-1-2) to the high country.

Shepparton United (0-1-2) and Kyabram (1-2) meet at Deakin Reserve in a clash between sides which came ever so close to securing victory from behind late last time out.

Rochester’s Moon Oval will set the scene for a meeting between two teams who felt the sting last week as the Tigers (1-2) and Tatura (1-2) attempt to rebound.

Finally, Mooroopna (2-1) suffered its first setback of the year, but has started with promise, dealing with the challenge of Shepparton Swans (1-2) after they held firm to notch their maiden win over Seymour.