Finals footy: Deniliquin’s Bryce Scoullar and Tongala’s Kyle Fitzgerald do battle in the ruck in front of a healthy crowd.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
Moama began its 2022 Murray Football League finals campaign in thrilling fashion on Sunday afternoon, besting a red-hot Congupna by four points in a gripping elimination final at Memorial Park.
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Nick Pavlou was the star for the Magpies, dominating through the midfield and producing an epic forward cameo late — which included kicking the winning goal from an incredible front and centre — as he almost single-handedly lifted his team to a 9.11 (65) to 9.7 (61) triumph.
This came after Moama found itself immediately on the back foot after The Road utilised a strong breeze to boot the first four goals of the match.
Clawing their way back into the contest in the second and third terms, the Magpies would whittle the deficit back to six points at the last change, before an epic final quarter got them over the line.
And in what seemed like a never ending 30 minutes, the lead constantly changed, with an Orien Kerr 50m penalty putting The Road in the box seat late before Pavlou popped up with his heroics.
On Saturday afternoon, Tongala was dominant from start to finish as Darren Ewing ran rampant with 11 goals.
The Rams, in their first finals series since 2014, were held goalless until well into the fourth quarter, and the Blues’ 14.13 (97) to 2.7 (19) win ensures they will face Moama in this weekend’s semi-final.
The Blues capitalised on a strong wind favouring the scoreboard end, booting four goals in the first quarter to the Rams’ single behind.
Tongala tightened the screws further with a five-goal second term as Ewing ticked over the five-goal mark. Deni was still without a goal as the Blues took a 57-point lead into half-time.
John Anstee and Ricky Gittens toiled hard in the third term, but the superior tap work of Kyle Fitzgerald and midfield dominance of Coby McCarthy and Jack Hammond was too much for the Rams to handle.
Inevitable: Tongala’s Darren Ewing reels in yet another mark on his way to an 11-goal haul.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
With a 69-point lead at three-quarter time, Tongala had all but assured its continued presence in the flag race. Caleb Fitzpatrick and Riley Hamilton snared late goals for Deniliquin to avoid a goalless final.
Blues coach Jordan Souter said it was pleasing to see such an even spread of contributors, but admitted the result didn’t come without cost.
“We had a couple of injuries out of it, but it was a good team effort,” Souter said.
“We’ve prided ourselves on 22 blokes getting stuck in and playing their role and it happened again today.
“We’re happy with the result, but it’s only the start for us. We’ll recover hard this week. Finals footy can take its toll on the body.
“We’ll go in this week confident against either Moama or Congupna, who are playing good footy, so we’ll need to lift to that standard again.”
Ewing was once again a dominant force down forward, booting 11 out of Tongala’s 14 goals to take his season tally to 55 from seven games.
Outstretched: Tongala's Ryan Nyhuis takes a diving mark, but is in doubt for this week’s semi-final after dislocating his shoulder on Saturday.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
Ewing arguably holds the key for the Blues in their flag aspirations, but Tongala could be without another Top End star for the crucial semi-final, with Ryan Nyhuis suffering a dislocated shoulder in the first quarter.
“(Nyhuis) didn’t play much after quarter-time,” Souter said.
“He’ll get it checked out, but I reckon it would be a miracle for him to play, to be honest.”
Tongala will meet Moama in a tantalising semi-final at Mulwala’s Lonsdale Oval on Sunday afternoon.
