Fine form: Echuca's Jack McHale has been in great touch this season with his past three weeks yielding some unbelievable numbers. Photo: File
Photo by
Aydin Payne
Echuca and Mansfield are set to do battle for the second time already this season when they meet at Victoria Park, and the Murray Bombers will no doubt come out firing.
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After an upset loss to rival Rochester last weekend, the Murray Bombers will be smarting, and looking to get back to the form that saw them beat the Eagles in the season opener by 82 points.
The midfield battle will be a point of interest on Saturday, with players on each side making brilliant individual starts to the season.
Jack McHale has enjoyed a stellar patch of form for Echuca, with the gun onballer putting together an astonishing last three weeks in particular.
Over the past three rounds, McHale has averaged 141.7 ranking points, with the tough nut kicking off his purple patch against Mooroopna with a 24-disposal, nine-clearance game.
He also gathered 14 contested possessions, laid 10 tackles and snagged a goal in a performance worth 151 ranking points.
McHale backed up this performance with 25 touches, five clearances and two goals against Euroa, earning 137 ranking points, and continued his rich vein of form against Rochester.
Racking up 28 disposals, 24 of which were contested, McHale also had seven clearances and eight tackles for yet another 137 ranking points game.
The Murray Bombers midfielder’s body of work so far this season has been outstanding, and will no doubt prove a headache for Mansfield on Saturday.
Soaring Eagle: Mansfield's Harry Mahoney has been prolific to start the season, and will no doubt be a strong contributor again on Saturday against Echuca. Photo: Megan Fisher
Photo by
Megan Fisher
But the Eagles have a midfield weapon of their own, with Harry Mahoney enjoying a strong start to his year, and has been instrumental in Mansfield’s string of four consecutive victories.
Mahoney has averaged 25.2 disposals through six games this season, which he uses at a tidy 74 per cent efficiency, winning 9.5 contested possessions per outing and averaging 3.7 clearances per game.
A better than a goal-a-game mid, kicking nine majors already this season, Mahoney lays a touch over three tackles (3.3) and takes roughly six marks per game, while also pumping the ball inside attacking 50 four times.
Mahoney finished the game against Echuca in round one as the highest-rated Mansfield player on the ground, garnering 22 disposals and five clearances, and will no doubt be prominent again.
