Both will be answered on Saturday as the Goulburn Valley Hockey Association gears up to host its senior men’s and women’s grand finals, with Strikers’ men hunting a fabled record while SYC’s women face a green machine in the form of Echuca-Moama.
In the latter’s case, the River Rats won the 2024 flag but have since split into two factions as Echuca Moama Green topped the table at the end of the 2025 season.
However, SYC was hot on the heels in second.
If the Scorchers can recreate their round three performance where they bested the River Rats 5-3, a return to the promised land could be on the cards.
The situation couldn’t be more different for Strikers.
Shepparton’s men’s powerhouse, who’ve already banked the Regional Hockey League minor premiership this year, enter their match with Echuca-Moama as clear favourites.
Strikers have built a seven straight flag dynasty in a competition that, at times, has struggled to keep numbers on the field which makes their sustained dominance all the more remarkable.
Playing-coach and chief scorer Xavier McBain admits the streak comes with a small asterisk.
“I believe it’s eight in a row this year, that has been the talk,” McBain said.
“But it’s a bit controversial because a few COVID years there – we took the minor premiership. I don’t know if they call it a premiership or not though.”
Semantics aside, the Strikers have been the benchmark for the better part of a decade.
Meanwhile, Echuca-Moama earned its shot at the title by stunning the Scorchers in last week’s preliminary final, flipping the script on a season where Strikers and SYC had largely set the pace.
That upset alone has McBain wary.
“They created a bit of an upset beating SYC on the weekend. It shows they’re up and about, up for the challenge,” he said.
“We’ve won the last couple but you always have to be careful - never underestimate your opponent.
“We won’t be coming in with any leniency there - we’ll come out as hard as we can, give our best and hopefully come away with the chocolates again.”
Beyond the scoreboard, McBain has one eye on the bigger picture: the health of hockey in the Goulburn Valley.
With just three men’s teams, depth is always stretched, forcing players to seek more hockey elsewhere.
“It’s always a great year of hockey; the Goulburn Valley association puts on a good competition for us,” McBain said.
“But we just need more players - that’s what the main thing for the league is. Obviously we need more teams; it’s a struggle with only three men’s sides.
“We’ve got some fantastic players in the league but we just need more people involved.
“The Goulburn Valley association took out the senior country championships, so it just shows we have the talent here.”
Finally, the B-grade men’s grand final will be contested between Strikers and SYC.
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