Rumbalara made the stronger start on its home court in round nine, edging ahead 17-14 at quarter-time through the sharp shooting of Ellie Morgan and Desmond Morgan.
The home side maintained its advantage during an entertaining second term, taking a narrow 28-26 lead into the main break as Tongala struggled to fully contain Rumba’s movement through the midcourt.
The momentum shifted dramatically after half-time as the visitor produced its best netball of the afternoon in the third quarter, piling on 16 goals to turn a two-goal deficit into a 42-39 advantage at the final change.
Amelia Brock was instrumental in the turnaround, while Chiquita Vick provided crucial support in attack as the Blues began to control possession and convert consistently.
Rumbalara refused to go away in a frantic final term as Jaydah Wanganeen sparked the home side late, repeatedly finding the post to cut the margin, while Ellie Morgan continued to prove a threat.
However, Tongala steadied in the closing minutes, with Brock and Vick calmly converting under pressure to secure a hard-fought three-goal 54-51 win.
Brock finished with 26 goals in a standout performance for Tongala, while Vick added 23 and Natasha Dodos contributed five.
Rumbalara was led by Ellie Morgan with 23 goals, Desmond Morgan with 17 and Wanganeen with 11 in a strong attacking display despite the narrow defeat.
Reflecting on a war of attrition at Mercury Drive, Tongala stalwart Grace Hammond was impressed with the resilience shown by her Blues teammates in the win.
“It was close from the first whistle to the last and a massive game of patience for us,” she said.
“We probably went out a little bit playing a brand of netball that wasn't necessarily the brand that we want to play in those first couple of quarters, so it was just about finding our patience in the right combination.
“We played a full four quarters of netball and waited till we found our flow, so that was definitely a big credit to the girls that we were able to be patient and just let the things fall our way as the game went on.
“We just let it kind of take control of itself rather than trying to force the result.
“Having Milly (Amelia) Brock back to play some consistent quarters in goal shooter too was massive for us.”
Looking ahead to the round 10 clash with Nathalia on June 6, Hammond spoke of excitement leading into a major test for the Blues.
“We obviously know it's a very tough contest coming up,” she said.
“They are the side to beat and they've got Jane Cook, which is massive to have someone that tall under the ring, but we're really focusing on just nailing our own game.”
Elsewhere, Nathalia flexed its premiership credentials with a dominant 55-22 victory over Congupna, while Moama defeated Finley 51-31, as Echuca United also put points on the board by claiming a 45-37 win against Cobram.
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