But when the final siren sounded in Sunday’s Goulburn Valley League grand final, the Bombers had won the battle for the fourth time this season.
A dogged defensive display saw Kyabram hold Echuca’s big four of Angus Byrne, Dan Willis, Ruory Kirkby and Tim Allan to just one goal between them.
Holman in particular was impressive, consistently coming off his direct opponent to intercept the ball.
But Holman said his efforts weren’t possible without the work of his fellow defenders.
“They’ve got a lot of big boys down there, so we knew it was going to be far from easy.
“I couldn’t say any of the guys really stood out and that’s what you want as a group of defenders. I thought everyone played their role perfectly.
“That’s what we’ve come to expect every week from each other.”
For much of the day, Echuca struggled to get the ball inside their forward 50 at a speed which threatened to spread the Kyabram defence.
And Holman said it was possible because of his side’s midfield dominance starting with ruckmen Jake Reeves and Zac Norris.
“It’s really good for us because it takes a lot of pressure of us because the ball isn’t coming in as quickly,” he said.
“Reevesy is a great big game player – who has consistently been great for us in grand finals.
“Nozzy has been huge for us all year and he delivered again today.”
Just like many of his teammates, Holman used last year’s grand final defeat as motivation for 2018.
And relief was the overarching emotion for the key defender when the final siren sounded.
“It’s the best feeling in the world especially after all the disappointment we suffered last year,” Holman said.
“I’m just so proud of the way we have been able to bounce back as a group.
“It hurt for a few months and most of the group stuck around with this day at the front of our minds again.
“We worked hard during pre-season and knew we had what it took to be able to deliver at the right time.”
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