The same was true for the 2025 edition, with fans pouring into Moama Reserve to witness a senior footy heart-stopper and dominant Rumbalara confirm itself as one of the great teams of the A-grade competition.
Cobram’s three-point win over Congupna will go down in folklore, but it was a scoreline emblematic of the tight margins the clubs’ football representatives faced all day.
The biggest margin in the footy was 21 points, with the under-14 Tiger cubs prevailing, while Cobram’s under-17s fended off a Moama charge to win by a goal.
And with the ball parked only 15 metres from Congupna’s goal, the final siren of the reserves clash proved cruel audio for The Road, who echoed the seniors margin, trailing a jubilant Moama by three points.
Tongala netted three netball flags, Moama and Echuca United’s 17-and-under clash went the journey with the Eagles snatching a one-goal win, while the Pies’ under-15s and under-13s got one back.
The league announced only a slight dip in gate and finals takings from last year’s record-breaking effort, with grand final day netting $75,980 and the series as a collective generating around $181,000.
Fiscally and operationally, it meant a pleased league operations manager in Dale Norman.
“We were thrilled with the response once again,” Norman said.
“The crowd came along and were extremely well-behaved.
“(It’s) nearly on par with last year, which was an extraordinary year for some reason.
“To be only five per cent down across the whole finals series is a magnificent result considering the schedule of the AFL, which didn't help us at all.
“We’re thrilled with the crowd that attended.”
But there’s no rest for Norman, who said meetings will be held over the coming weeks to reinforce competition sustainability.
Salary cap concessions for several clubs will be discussed.
“We’ll figure that out over the course of the meetings,” Norman said.
“We're trying to give them some encouragement going into next year and to build a foundation for following years.”
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