GVL Data | Rucks battle for supremacy, Walker opens account

By Matthew Kappos and Oliver Shedden

Jun 16, 2024

Kane Morris added three inside-50s and two goals to his 24 hit-outs (nine to advantage) against Shepparton Bears. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Echuca established itself as the dominant side in the Goulburn Valley League, defeating Shepparton Bears in dominant fashion at the weekend.

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One of the key match-ups turned out to be in the ruck, where Murray Bombers big man Kane Morris, took on hit-out machine Ash Holland.

The pair led their respective sides in ranking points with Holland’s 157 leading all players and Morris’ 140 the second most on the park.

Obviously key to any battle of ruckmen is hit-outs, and no-one does it better in the GVL this year than Holland.

The Bears tall (459) is more than 100 hit-outs clear of the next closest competitor in the league this year, and he continued to rack up numbers against the Murray Bombers.

Holland (43) got his hand to the ball more often than Morris (24) during the game, but the raw numbers don’t tell the full story.

In fact, despite the gulf in attempts, both rucks directed their hit-outs to advantage the same number of times (9), meaning Morris is making better use of the ball when he gets his opportunities.

In other areas, Morris also got some work done, grabbing eight marks, five of them inside 50, three clearances, three inside-50s and 16 disposals, to go along with two goals.

Meanwhile, Holland contributed 23 disposals, 20 contested possessions and four clearances for the Bears.

Walker’s dazzling debut

Fifteen-year-old football prodigy Cody Walker made his debut in the midfield for Echuca’s senior side in their round 10 match-up against Shepparton Bears.

He demonstrated he is worth the hype with a good all-round performance which included a pair of goals and a behind.

As a midfielder, he executed his job well; he had 20 disposals, 10 contested possessions, three intercept possessions, appearing everywhere while on the field.

He was also present in Echuca’s forward 50, grabbing a contested mark and a pair of marks inside 50.

Walker worked well as a facilitator, picking up six inside-50s, a goal assist, four goal involvements and six score involvements.

Not only was he producing on the attacking end of the ball, but he also made sure to pressure the ball in the midfield, with a pair of chases and two midfield tackles to cap off a well-rounded performance.

With Walker coming out of the gates strongly, it’ll be up to Echuca’s coaches to determine if he remains in the squad for the near future or if they prioritise their established players. Either way he has given himself the best chance to secure more game time in 2024.