Since joining Congupna from Shepparton East, Tom McCluskey has become a linchpin in the team's stellar 2025 run, consistently dominating the ruck and providing crucial clearances.
A mammoth match-up looms against Cobram’s O’Dwyer Medallist Jackson Trengove in Saturday’s grand final at Moama, with McCluskey himself finishing sixth in the count as Congupna’s highest finisher.
He’s made an instant impact since heading to The Road, but after playing in Shepparton East’s losing grand final last year, there’s some unfinished business for the now popular Congupna figure.
And he knows what it will take to ensure The Road cap off a dominant season in style.
“Having the week off, you get to embrace it all and just take it all in,” McCluskey said.
“(I’ll) just be playing my role like I have been all year.
“It’s what we practice at training, just playing your role.
“It will be good if everyone does that, and we can come out on top.”
McCluskey’s experience has paid dividends throughout the season, with six seasons in the GVL before moving back to Shepparton East, culminating in a Team of the Year ruckman spot last year and establishing him as one of the form big men in the region.
His connection to Congupna coach Ben Bingham brought him across, and he’s been feeling the love ever since.
“This club is a lot different from where I’ve come from, and I feel like it’s really opening to me,” McCluskey said.
“Everyone’s invited me in.
“I did know a few boys already, so it’s been really easy to come in.
“It’s a club where everyone gets along, there’s no individuals.
“Everyone does the right thing by each other, there’s no one out there that’s trying to star, and everyone just plays their role.”
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