Rochester’s reserves will take on Echuca in Sunday’s grand final. Photos: Bruce Povey
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BrucePoveyPhotos.com 2022
The Rochester reserves will attempt to do what the club was created for and take down Echuca in the grand final on Sunday, September 22.
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Both sides have been the pick of the litter throughout the 2024 season, with Rochester securing second billing on the ladder with a 14-4 record.
Meanwhile, Echuca has gone through the season undefeated and holds a perfect 18-0 record.
Much like the seniors, the Tigers’ reserves side miraculously turned around from difficult circumstances in 2023, turning last year’s 10th-place finish into a grand final appearance in a single year.
The bitter rivalry between the two sides will make the last dance even more meaningful as the Tigers look to give Echuca its first and most devastating loss of the year.
Rochy started the season poorly, losing to Benalla by 23 points in round one, but it won its first game against Kyabram the following week.
The Tigers bested Shepparton Bears in round three by 10 points and crushed eventual wooden-spooner Tatura by 76 points in round four.
The first glimpse of the eventual grand final match-up came in round five when the Murray Bombers and Rochy clashed at Victoria Park.
Despite a slow start, the men in green came back to emerge victorious, edging out the Tigers by 10 points in a gritty, low-scoring affair.
Fueled by a fire to compete with Echuca, Rochy dominated the competition from May until the end of July, when it had a 10-game winning streak over Mooroopna, Euroa, Seymour, all three Shepparton sides, Mansfield, Kyabram, Benalla and Tatura.
There is something poetic about the Tigers remaining undefeated until they faced the Murray Bombers again, their match-up being a true test of Rochy’s constitution.
Jaycob Dingwall has the most appearances in his side’s best this season.
Photo by
BrucePoveyPhotos.com 2022
Their second dalliance of the season in round 16 proved different from the first. This time around, the Tigers struggled to get points on the board and looked uncomfortable against Echuca, ultimately losing by 32 points.
A tight contest in round 17 against Mooroopna saw Rochy lose in consecutive weeks for the first time all season before bouncing back against Shepparton United to end on a high.
The Murray Bombers and Tigers met for the third time this season in the first week of finals. Scoring was slow for both sides through the first half, and Rochy trailed by six.
Echuca exploded in the third term to rip the game away from the Tigers, scoring nine goals to advance to the semi-finals.
Despite going 0-3 against the Murray Bombers during the season, Rochy had no problem moving past other teams on its way to the grand final, defeating Shepparton Swans and Seymour convincingly en route to the big dance.
The two sides intertwined by fate will square up for the fourth and final time in the grand final to decide who flies the flag for 2024.
Tigers coach Kane Moroney emphasised that despite losing to Echuca in every meeting thus far this year, he and his side were confident they could overcome the odds, using their rivalry as fuel to get the job done.
“We are confident even if Echuca haven’t been beaten because each time we’ve played, we match up well with them,” he said.
“Anything can happen on the day and we are confident coming up against them. The intense rivalry will motivate us.
“(The rivalry) makes for a good script because there’s no team they’d rather beat than us and vice versa.
“I think we are more excited than nervous to get out there. Everyone I have spoken to so far on the side is keen to go for it now.”
The first bounce is scheduled for 11.55am on Sunday, September 22, at Deakin Reserve in Shepparton.
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