There may only be three Goulburn Valley League football games on this weekend, but they are all shaping up to be crackers.
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With the GVL’s round 13 set to be held over two weeks, supporters will face a tricky decision on where to head this weekend.
Saturday’s headline game will be the top-of-the-table clash between Euroa and Echuca, while third-placed Mooroopna will welcome Jackson Trengove into the side as it faces an away day to Kyabram.
A Deakin Derby will add further spice to the weekend’s games with the Shepparton Bears and Shepparton United set to do battle.
Euroa v Echuca
Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash is sure to be an interesting encounter at Euroa’s Memorial Oval, with the game set to go some way in deciding the minor premiership.
Last time out Echuca cruised to a 43-point victory, however Murray Bombers coach Simon Maddox was wary of the Magpies this time around.
“Euroa are a very good footy side, they haven’t lost since we beat them,” Maddox said.
“It will be a red-hot encounter, Euroa are hard to beat at the best of times let alone when they have won 10 in a row.
“We may well go in underdogs.”
And while this presents as an excellent opportunity for the Magpies to claim the biggest scalp in GVL football, they will have to do so without a number of key contributors.
Jacob Gleeson (foot), Jayden Gleeson (quad), Ben Giobbi (soreness) and Erish Uthayakumar (personal reasons) will all be missing from the Euroa line-up for this blockbuster clash, providing plenty of headaches for coach Scott Rowan.
But the Magpies mentor said the game would still give his side a great indication of where it’s at.
“It is obviously the biggest challenge in Goulburn Valley footy coming up against the undefeated top team, so we are excited to see where we are at,” Rowan said.
“Unfortunately we won’t be very close to full strength this weekend which is disappointing, but hopefully we can still test our structure against the best.”
Proceedings will get under way in Euroa on Saturday at 2.35pm.
Kyabram v Mooroopna
In another mouth-watering Saturday afternoon contest, Kyabram will play host to Mooroopna at the Hangar.
Currently in fifth spot, a win is vital to keeping the Bombers from slipping out of the top six, while Mooroopna will be looking to keep its good form going.
Kyabram coach Paul Newman said Saturday’s game was huge for both clubs.
“There’s been a few boys looking at the draw and what’s to come, it’s gonna play a huge part on where both clubs finish in the top six,” Newman said.
“Hopefully we’ve turned a bit of a corner (after downing Tatura), we’ve got such a young team with a lot of inexperience, we’ve just got to ride the ebbs and flows.”
The Bombers will be bolstered for the clash with Hayden Gemmill, Jake Reeves and Zac Keogh all returning to Kyabram’s line-up.
On the other side of the coin, Mooroopna will welcome former AFL star Jackson Trengove into the side, while Tom Crosbie and Kai Madgwick could potentially return.
Mooroopna coach John Lamont said Trengove should start up front, however with GVL leading goal-kicker Chris Nield also in the side, things will be interesting.
“We’ll go with a bit more of a two-pronged attack, we’ve got to work that out and it’s an important layer for us,” Lamont said.
“It was an important win for us last week, but they’re all eight-point games (recently) and it’s another one with Kyabram there in the mix with us.
“There’s a lot at stake; we want to prove the quality in the Rochester performance wasn’t just a flash in the pan, we want to go on with it.
“It means a lot to us on a variety of levels.”
The Cats have not faced a trip to the Hangar since 2018 and Saturday is sure to be an interesting one.
Play at the Kyabram Recreation Reserve will get under way at 2.35pm.
Shepparton v Shepparton United
Saturday afternoon’s Deakin Derby is sure to be a thrilling contest, with both sides full of young talent and hungry for a win.
It has been an impressive few weeks for Shepparton, with Ted Lindon’s men taking it up against some of the competition’s best.
Meanwhile United has had a difficult couple of weeks on the track, with the youthful side looking to end the season strongly.
Last time these two sides met the Bears picked up a 35-point win, however Shepparton coach Ted Lindon said this result was irrelevant going into Saturday’s game.
“You always want to get a win against the old foe,” Lindon said.
“We’ve put together a good block of games since the Benalla loss and are looking forward to playing the old foe in United."
Lindon expected the sides to be similar on the field, with both statistically ‘pressure teams’ that enjoy good contested football with plenty of youthful pace.
United coach Paul Serra said the Bears had been in good form in recent weeks, with a young United set to take on the local rival.
“We’ll hopefully bring in a few under-18s, they’re having a good year so one might debut, looking at getting those boys opportunities,” Serra said.
“You’ve got to be realistic with the list, it’s about getting games into guys and that understanding of this level of football.”
Oscar Ryan will be a big out for United with the talent going back to the Murray Bushrangers, while Zavier Maher will return to Carlton’s VFL setup.
Meanwhile, the Bears will run out with a squad very similar to last week.
Saturday afternoon’s game at Deakin Reserve will get under way at 2pm.
Daniel is a passionate sports fan and proud Tasmanian.