After a long wait over the summer months, both football and netball are finally back, and the stage is set for a massive cross-border rivalry to open the Murray league season.
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Moama will host Echuca United in what promises to be a thrilling Good Friday clash, with both clubs looking to make a statement in round one and secure the Three Jacks Trophy.
The Pies have dominated the encounters between the two clubs in recent times, winning every single match across all grades of football and netball to earn clean sweeps in both meetings last season.
Moama’s senior football side is keen to continue that stretch of dominance and get its season underway with a win following a disappointing end to 2023, bowing out for the second successive season at the hands of eventual premier Mulwala in the preliminary final.
While on paper the club looks to be well positioned to open its account in round one, Magpies co-coach Jye Warren isn’t underestimating a new-look Eagles side.
“We don't think it's going to be an easy game at all,” he said.
“We know they've been pretty quiet over at United, they've kept their cards pretty close to their chest with their recruits and whatnot. You hear whispers around town, who they've recruited and whatnot, and we're not going to take it easy.
“This is a real big game for us, you've got to set the standard high again in front of a massive crowd.
“We're really looking forward to the challenge, Echuca United, they're the unknown at the moment.
“We're not going to take it lightly, we'll be putting the best available side we can put together on that day. I've got faith that hopefully we can get the job done.”
While Warren has been hearing murmurs about the Eagles’ latest signings, his side has been hard at work securing signatures too.
Tom Holman and Liam Barrett are set to play under Kyabram premiership teammate and Pies co-coach Sam Sheldon, adding to the distinct Bombers flavour at the club.
The inclusions of Liam McGregor from Shepp Bears and Josh Kennedy from Eastern Football League club Warrandyte will also bolster the back half and add much-needed experience.
But they will come up against a revamped Echuca United list with club legend Scott Beattie at the helm, and there is no doubting his side will look to make a mark on the competition straight away.
“We feel good, we feel like we’re prepared, that’s the main thing,” Beattie said.
“I guess above everything else we've worked pretty hard on a number of different things. It's a completely new group, new faces, a lot of blokes playing their first games for the club, so yeah, we're going okay.”
While the Three Jacks clash is undoubtedly a big occasion, Beattie is more realistic about the fact that his group is playing its first game together, and while they are of course looking to win, he said the result won’t be used to measure success.
“The buy in of the group has been unreal, and you can't do anything in any circle without commitment,” he said.
“Post-COVID, people can choose not to play footy, to get people to commit to the time it takes to be successful, that’s where our success is building from.
“That doesn't include wins and losses for us, we've got some internal measures that will make sure that we know that we're successful and we've got players that have bought in.
“I'm pretty confident that the group will chew up and spit out ones that aren't committed to being better.”
The most successful senior coach in Echuca United history, delivering the club its sole senior flag to date, Beattie was known for his tough, uncompromising game style.
While elements of that will be present in his second spell at the helm, he said the game has moved on from that approach.
“It's a completely different group,” he said.
“It's not a one size fits all scenario, we've got a young side, and a side that is learning different factors of the game, so we don't have the group that is capable of playing that style of footy.
“To be fair, the game has probably moved on a little bit from that style of footy as well, it's faster and things like the stand rule and all that sort of stuff, you've got to move the goalposts in terms of coaching.
“We've well and truly done that, but there will be times we've got to measure and put our head over the ball, and I'm confident enough we've got the ability to do that.”
The two sides are at vastly different stages, however the contest promises to be an intriguing one, with the stage of round one offering an opportunity for each club to make an early statement.
Things look to be a lot closer over on the netball court, with Echuca United and Moama finishing fifth and sixth respectively on the ladder last season.
Magpie Liv Taverna, with 200 games, has taken charge of the A-grade side for 2024, with her Moama outfit keen to get the new season underway.
“I think we're all really excited to get stuck into it, it's been a good pre-season and we're ready to go,” she said.
Her side will be bolstered by the inclusions of Liv Hannon and Erin Florance, as well as her sister, Emily Taverna, while also benefiting from junior players Hannah Richards and Abby Larkin making the step-up to the senior ranks full time.
With the last meeting between the pair a see-sawing thriller that saw Moama get up by three goals, Taverna is expecting another close encounter.
“It’s always a good hit out against United, especially the Good Friday game because the crowd is quite large,” she said.
“I'm thinking it will be a good game with fast, quick netball, so it will be good.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Eagles counterpart Tanner Edwards, who returns to United after a stint at Shepp Bears in the Goulburn Valley League.
"It's always a huge game, round one and obviously our rivals across the border in Moama, it's a huge day and everyone's very excited to always play,” she said.
“I think what you can expect from our United A-grade side is that we're quite young across the board, we don't have a lot of older players, but in saying that those girls that are young, we are still very experienced.
“I'd like to think you'll see a very agile, speedy side, which is really, really exciting.”
Echuca United has lost a fair chunk of experience in 2023 stand out players Kate Pearson and Jess Davidson, who departed in the off-season, however Edwards said her side has recruited a number of players who should be able to step up and plug those gaps.
“For the likes of those two it is a huge loss to the club, and then also for them to go and play somewhere else is a huge get for them,” she said.
“But in saying that, I'm hoping to be able to fill one of those positions myself, obviously I am a playing coach too, so (I will be) integrating myself into the side.
“(We've been) fortunate enough to be able to recruit a couple of goalies to be able to replace that loss of Kate, so we're hoping that those girls can be able to step up and complete the job as well.”
Moama and Echuca United will get their seasons under way at Moama Recreation Reserve on Friday, March 29, with the A-grade netball to get underway at 1.30pm, while the senior football will commence at 2pm.