PREMIUM
Sport

Magpies soar against Rumba, hold on to third spot

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Moama’s Liam Barrett was vital in their win over Rumbalara. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Moama has thumped a struggling Rumbalara side to hold onto third place on the ladder heading into the final round of the Murray League 2024 season.

Moama got straight to business in a contest that was theirs to lose, drilling five goals in the opening quarter to assert dominance.

Meanwhile, Rumba struggled to get anything going on the attacking end, kicking a pair of behinds to open its account.

The Magpies’ onslaught continued into the second period, kicking four further goals and a behind to seemingly put Rumbalara to bed before half-time.

Rumba’s scoring woes continued in the second quarter, adding just three behinds to its total and remaining scoreless at the half.

The Magpies had a quieter term in the third but still came out of the quarter with a pair of goals, while Rumbalara players finally got things going, adding a pair of goals for themselves, still trailing by 55 with a quarter to play.

Whatever spark Rumba found in the third term was swiftly snuffed out, with the Magpies drilling a staggering seven goals and three behinds to finish the game.

Rumbalara did manage to steal one goal in the final frame, but it was nowhere near enough to stop a soaring Moama outfit, which cruised to a 94-point victory.

The final score was Moama 18.9 (117) to Rumbalara 3.5 (23).

Magpies full forward Tom Sheldon had an outing to remember, kicking six goals in the contest for his side. His scoring form will be vital for Moama as they head into the finals.

Thomas Holman and Liam Barrett also had strong scoring outings, bagging four and three goals, respectively.

Holman and Barrett were joined by Mitchell Lake, Dougal McKindlay, Jack Russell and Jack Sheldon in the Magpies’ best for the match.

While Moama has retained a spot in the top three for another week, it is not out of the woods just yet. A potential slip into fourth is still possible if it loses to fifth-placed Numurkah in round 18.

For that to happen, the in-form Denniliquin Rams would have to beat 10th-placed Barooga, and with the Rams’ current form at home, it looks like a real possibility.

The Game

Scores

Moama: 5.0, 9.4, 11.6, 18.9 (117)

Rumbalara: 0.2, 0.5, 2.5, 3.5 (23)

Goals

Moama: Tom Sheldon 6, Thomas Holman 4, Liam Barrett 3, Sean Dillon, Mitchell Lake, Zade Maschewski, Thomas Naujok, Taj Ritchie

Rumbalara: Kydan Atkinson, Brogan McGee, Djaidha Miller

Best

Moama: Liam Barrett, Mitchell Lake, Thomas Holman, Dougal McKindlay, Jack Russell, Jack Sheldon

Rumbalara: Kevin Maroney, Ashtyn Atkinson, Steven Nabaki, Jesse Garner, Elwyn Bush, Jamie Atkinson