Coby McCarthy secures more clearances per game than any player in the GVL this season. Photo: Aidan Briggs
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Aidan Briggs
Echuca’s assignment this week in the Goulburn Valley League is fourth-placed Mooroopna.
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The Murray Bombers have dominated most opponents this year, but it wasn’t the case when the two sides met at Victoria Park in round three, where the margin was just 14 points in the reigning premiers' favour.
Let’s take a look at what the Cats are bringing to the table this weekend at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve.
Mooroopna, more than any other side this year, loves to get its hands on the ball.
The Cats average the most disposals in the league, 384.3 per game, by a wide margin, with Echuca the nearest competitor at more than 30 possessions less per game on average than Saturday’s opponents.
Much of this possession is uncontested; Mooroopna drops to seventh when looking at contested possessions (139.3), and the Cats prefer to keep things at ground level when they can, topping the competition in handballs (171.3).
Mooroopna’s ruck Keelin Betson averages 8.4 clearances and 16.3 contested possessions per game. Photo: Rechelle Zammit
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Not only does Mooroopna love to have the ball in their hands, but they make good use of it while they have it.
The Cats have the best disposal percentage (74 per cent) in the GVL and hold a three-point advantage in handball efficiency (85 per cent).
Echuca holds a slight advantage at the top of the league’s clearance count, 42.7 to the Cats’ 42.2, but Mooroopna is the best side in the league at securing possession after a ball up, leading the league in ball-up clearances (19.8).
Despite all this access to the ball, Mooroopna is only middle of the pack in inside-50s (sixth, 47.9) indicating that much of the Cats’ possession comes in defensive and midfield areas rather than in scoring situations.
Cats’ clearance crew
When looking for an outlet around the contest, one can’t go past the Mooroopna duo of Coby McCarthy and Keelin Betson.
The pair are dominant in terms of clearance numbers, McCarthy’s 8.5 per game and Betson’s 8.4 the two best marks in the league.
McCarthy gets his hands on the ball in a variety of situations, also putting up an impressive 34.3 disposals per game, while ruck Betson is more of a contest specialist, with a team-best 16.3 contested possessions per game out of 23.3 total disposals.
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