After falling tantalisingly short of claiming the 2024-25 Goulburn Murray Cricket A-grade John McMahon Shield against Echuca, Rochy will be out for revenge this summer.

Rochester will be the favourite to bring an end to Echuca’s sustained era of brilliance if the men in green can’t win it again, with Angus Martin back once more to lead the charge.

The club has opted to retain its current players and develop its juniors instead of importing new players, with last year’s imports Kuldeep Lal and Vibhor Yadav moving on.

The club has brought one player back into the side to bolster its depth, former captain Tim Bubb, returning from a stint in Bendigo.

Rochester president Craig Williams has emphasised the club’s desire to give A-grade playing time to its promising juniors such as Oliver Williams, Alice Caldow and Cale James, who featured in and out of the side last season.

“The feeling's good around the club so far, we've got a lot of young kids coming through that are going to get to play A-grade games this year,” he said.

“We haven't gone down the import road this season, we've got one of our ex-captains Tim Bubb returning to the club from a Bendigo side, which is really good.

“We're keen to see those kids really step up to that next level and a couple of even younger boys coming through potentially getting a chance.

“Cale James will feature heavily in A-grade this year and Alice Caldow, she's come back from a stint in the Northern Territory, and she's playing seniors for Carlton in the women's competition in Melbourne.

“So, those two and Ollie (Williams) need to really step up this year and sort of help out the boys, and with Sean Williams still there and Adam Ward, hopefully we can push really deep.”

While pre-season has been a bit quieter this year because of the success of Rochester’s senior football team taking the spotlight, the vibe around the club has been strong, and the belief is that the side can go one better this summer.

“Training is just starting to pick up now because it's getting a bit closer to the season,” Williams said.

“It's been a bit quiet, but that's probably because football was pushed on fairly late with Rochy making the grand final, so a lot of people are still concentrating on footy.

“But other than that, the vibe seems pretty good, with that youth coming through, hopefully that can actually lift us up a bit, push deep again this year and hopefully go all the way.”

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Saturday, 1st November 2025

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