After 18 rounds of fierce competition the Murray Football League home and away season has ended, leaving six teams to battle it out in an enthralling finals series.
Headlining the first weekend of post-season football is the intriguing elimination final between fourth-placed Moama and fifth-placed Congupna at Memorial Park, Congupna, on Sunday.
A constant in the top four, Moama has been a consistent force all season, knocking off the likes of Cobram and Mulwala to finish with an imposing 13-5 record.
The Road has been arguably the form side of the competition throughout the second half of the season, dropping two games after round five to be the true dark horse of this finals series.
And given the rare opportunity to host the finals match it is playing in, Congupna coach Kevin O’Donoghue said his team could not be more excited to launch into finals football.
“The boys are very excited, finals are what you play for and despite the home and away season being very good, the real stuff begins now,” O’Donoghue said.
“Having the game on our deck will certainly help us, especially with that travel factor being that we can just get out of our beds and in five minutes we are at the ground.
“And for the club as well it’s huge, a lot of work is going to be involved, but that is part and parcel of hosting a final, but to have that home support behind us will be massive.”
Moama coach Sam Sheldon shared the excitement for the start of the finals series and said his team was raring to go after an absence from the post-season stage.
“Everyone is very pumped, it is obviously what you play footy for to be involved at this time of year and having not been there for a while the excitement levels are high,” Sheldon said.
Congupna has had the wood over Moama in 2022, winning both home and away season clashes.
After a decisive 45-point victory at Memorial Park four weeks ago, Road supporters would be confident the side could do the job against Moama for a third straight time, with frenetic pressure and a star-studded forward line proving critical in the final result.
But finals football is a different beast and O’Donoghue was expecting a much tighter contest this time around.
“We are going to have to be at our best on the day, even though we have beaten them twice, this Sunday is going to be a completely different game and it all starts again,” O’Donoghue said.
“Those two games are in the past and we can’t focus on them too much, but those two wins against Moama does give us a little bit of confidence that our best football is good enough and makes us a hard team to beat.
“For us to win on Sunday we are going to have to bring our pressure game and sustain it, if we handle the intensity that will be the key to winning the game.”
The Moama players would be hoping third time is the charm as they make the daunting trip to Congupna.
Assuming underdog status for the clash, Sheldon was confident his team would learn from its previous shortcomings and flip the script.
“We haven’t beaten them (this year) and they will probably be the favourites going in,” Sheldon said.
“They are obviously a good side, they are very even all over the ground and run hard for each other and are very dangerous up forward, so hopefully having seen them a few times now we’ll be more prepared for how they play.
“We certainly do have to put a bit of work into them, but I also think if we bring our best footy we will be good enough.”
In team news, Congupna’s big three up forward will be back on the park, with the league’s leading goal-kicker Daniel Campbell returning after being rested against Mulwala last weekend.
The Road also welcomes back Ben Bingham as the side returns to a full-strength line-up.
Moama will sport a similarly strong side this weekend, with Josh Vick and Jye Smith back in for this cut-throat final.
Around the grounds, Tongala also has the benefit of a home elimination final as it welcomes sixth-placed Deniliquin to town.
The unanimous pre-season premiership fancy, the Blues have bounced back from a mid-season slump to win their past eight games, an ominous sign for fellow contenders.
But a third-placed finish has them having to go the long way to premiership glory, facing a Rams team capable of toppling the top contenders.