Cobram stages an all-time Murray Football League upset in three-point grand final stunner over Congupna

Cobram had led by as much as 31 points against a wayward Road that kicked 5.21, but the reigning premier made a jaw-dropping dash from 22 points down midway through the fourth quarter to send the grand final all the way to the last, agonising minute of the season for the Cobram faithful.

But with 29 minutes, 57 seconds elapsed, the final siren invited a delirious yellow and black army to erupt into absolute pandemonium, storming the field as the Tigers confirmed their first senior football premiership since 1998.

“Pure elation” is how first-year coach Mark Meyland described the feeling post-game when that beautiful buzzer inspired an entire community.

“It’s no secret around the club; 27 years without a flag and then to have lost two in that time as well (was hard),” Meyland said.

"To finally get it, to comprehend what it means to the town to get in this celebration, finally. It’s been a journey.

“There’s been testing times, but there's been some really good times, and this is obviously the peak.”

So how did Cobram do it against a team that boasted an average winning margin of 108 points and heavy favouritism?

With some Tigers grit, especially under siege early in the game.

Congupna boasted eight scoring shots to two in the first quarter in a heavily contested opening stanza, but only one of them was a goal, despite skipper Dan Schaper and Kyle Mueller looking dangerous in the air and on the ground.

Mueller, coming into the grand final parked on 93 goals, ticked over to 94 after Sam Buxton looped a handball over the top to the mercurial forward running into an open goal, the first of the decider.

BJ Squire and Billy Cooper were busy for The Road, but they were dealt a blow with Sam Slavich’s day done with a head knock and Jak Trewin hobbled with a lower-body injury.

Cobram’s Ben Ryan shook off an early miss to kick the Tigers’ first goal of the day, heading into quarter-time six points behind Congupna.

It was the second quarter where the nucleus of Cobram’s victory was built.

The Tigers slammed home five goals to two behinds, with Luca Allen the chief playmaker.

Jackson Trengove earned a 50-metre penalty and subsequent goal after copping a high hit after a mark, but it was Tyron Baden front and centre of the steaming Tiger train, which dominated the centre clearances.

Baden shone with a pair of goals in a period dominated by Cobram, and when Allen blazed inside-50 and kicked truly on the run to extend their lead to two goals, the first hint of an upset was on the cards.

Matt DeMaio then had his hands around their second contested mark inside 50, converting from the set shot 35 metres out.

Importantly, the backline Beasley pair of captain Sam and brother Jack intercepted most Congupna advances, and Alec Ritchie had kept the dangerous Mueller to just one major as the Tigers carried a 25-point lead into half-time.

Congupna coach Ben Bingham and Cobram coach Mark Meyland made their impassioned pleas to their squads, and hostilities resumed.

Ben Ryan took no time shooting the Tigers out to a game-high 31-point lead with his second goal of the day as Congupna continued to pepper the goals with a telling 1.14 scoreline.

However, Kyle Coates was forced to assume ruck duties for the Tigers with Trengove going down hurt in a fierce ruck contest with Tom McCluskey, which resulted in a yellow card to The Road’s big man and ended the former AFL man’s day with suspected cracked ribs.

Sam Poole toiled hard for Congupna, as did Squire and Sam Buxton, but The Road didn’t have anything to show for it until Schaper goaled on the stroke of three-quarter-time to give them a fighting chance, 20 points down.

The reigning premiers then came screaming out of the gate in pursuit of an unlikely comeback.

A Schaper set shot hit the post, Mueller missed one on the run, Poole couldn’t convert a difficult set shot, and Charlie Boyer also elicited a groan from onlookers as Congupna simply couldn’t split the sticks.

Ryan made them pay at the other end, check-siding and celebrating what at the time seemed a premiership-winning goal to send Cobram 22 points clear.

Unbelievably, a twist in the tale remained.

With 16 minutes gone, Charlie Mellington finally clinched the major The Road were looking for, but Matteo Allen’s brave mark tracking back with the flight on the clubroom wing again seemed to have the job done.

With the minutes counting down, the Cobram faithful took a breath until Sam Buxton’s big pack mark and goal to get the margin back to eight points with 27 minutes played.

At the restart, jaws dropped as Jimmy Boyer received a free kick and 50-metre penalty, which The Road midfielder duly converted to get Congupna within three points.

A frantic, contested dash ensued, but Congupna had left its run too late - they were beaten to the punch by the siren, the final score locked in at 8.6 (54) to 5.21 (51).

The Road had 12 more scoring shots.

“I tell you what, I wish it didn't come down to that,” Meyland said.

“We probably got ourselves to a comfortable position thinking that there were only two goals kicked for the quarter.

“We're probably very lucky with the way they kicked inaccurately all day, but especially in the first quarter.

“It just gave us that sense that if we can use the wind properly and get some scoreboard pressure on them, we'll be in a good spot.

“We managed to defend fairly well in the first quarter, and then in the second quarter, we did get a bit of money for jam with the ball in hand.

“Then from half-time, we knew we were going back into it, so we're going to have to defend like we could and get as many stoppages as we could.”.

Tears, cheers, and premiership glory were Cobram’s, while for The Road it will be a tale of “what if”.

Luca Allen left with an extra medal around his neck after he was judged best on the ground.

He was in good company in the Tigers' best players; Tyron Baden stepped up as he has done all year, Jackson Trengove made an impact before he was sidelined with what appeared to be cracked ribs, while Ben Ryan was an ever-present threat down forward.

“I thought Tyron Baden was just exceptional all day, and he has been all year when you need someone to step up,” said Meyland.

“Luca Allen was everywhere and just gives us that energy with the ball in hand.

“Ben Ryan up forward, I'm not sure how many he kicked, but he probably kicked three, I reckon, at least, which were very good at timely spots.”

The 2025 decider will long live in the memory as one of the league’s biggest ever upsets, and for the Cobram community, it will be its shining memory of a day that ended 27 years of heartbreak.