Wright’s junior project meets Eagles’ stunning surge

Leading a side to a junior premiership wouldn’t be a bad confidence boost before Wright solely focuses on the senior job.

And this team has had numerous challenges to overcome to get to its big day.

For starters, Moama fields mostly bottom-age talents.

Then there was a tough late July, early August period impacted by the coach being absent on holiday.

It’s probably a good sign of Wright’s coaching pedigree that when she was away, the team began to wobble.

She wouldn’t have agreed with that assessment at the time.

“I'd been away in Europe, so I wasn't there coaching the girls or anything like that, so I had a couple of girls fill-in,” Wright said.

“I came back, and we versed Cobram, and we got absolutely pumped, so I was stressed.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, what's happened?’ We need to get back to where we were, and they put in the effort at training and I made them work for it.”

The hard work paid off.

Cobram, the minor premier, trounced Moama 43-21 in the aforementioned meeting.

But when the two sides met two weeks ago, the Magpies won 39-37, booking their grand final spot.

Wright’s plan to shut down the Tigers’ goal shooter and centre worked beautifully as Moama overturned a four-goal half-time deficit.

Now Echuca United awaits, which knocked out Cobram in last week’s prelim.

“It’s just very unpredictable, we don't know what to expect,” Wright said.

“They've done really well to come from fifth, they've got nothing to lose.

“So we've just got to prove that we're the better team and hopefully on the day it pays off.”

Moama has been a better side than the Eagles over the course of the season.

It finished three places higher and comfortably won both regular season meetings.

But Zara Retallick’s team has recently become a different beast, ripping off eight straight victories.

Echuca United may have finished fifth, but its been playing like a side worthy of a flag.

Much to the coach’s delight, who said she knew her side had been written off after a slow start saw it with only three wins in early June.

“We knew mid-year when we had our number of losses what we needed to do at that time, and all the girls are really positive and believing in themselves I guess, that they can do it, and they are up there with the rest of the contenders,” Retallick said.

But what did the team learn about itself? What changed?

“Being able to play a full game,” Retallick said.

“We were putting together three really good quarters and one quarter we would drop away or the girls, being young teens, would get quite hard on themselves.

“Just changing the mindset and believing that they are good enough and can do it and are able to fight until the end.”

Both sets of players shouldn’t need any additional motivation on grand final day.

But if they do, there will be a special guest watching in NSW Swifts coach and Tongala native Dylan Nexhip.

Well, Nexhip won’t be spectating in the traditional sense; he’ll be umpiring the contest with brother Corey.

The 15-and-under Murray League grand final starts from 11am at Moama Recreation Reserve.