It’s official — Congupna will be playing finals football in 2022.
Billed as a blockbuster clash between two of the form teams of the competition, the Road certainly lived up to the occasion, dominating Moama from start to finish to run away with a clinical 10.13 (73) to 4.4 (28) victory.
The win was Congupna’s 10th triumph from its past 11 matches, as it now draws level on points with the fourth-placed Magpies.
A result built around sustained pressure for the entire four quarters, Road coach Kevin O’Donoghue said he was incredibly proud of how his team went about it.
“I am extremely happy with how the boys went about it for the entire game,” O’Donoghue said.
“We didn’t have any lapses, from start to finish we were just on and pressure-wise it was as good a performance as we’ve put in all year — so as a coach I could not be more proud.”
Greeted with picture-perfect conditions at Memorial Park, the Road was red hot from the opening bounce, with its intense pressure putting Moama immediately on the back foot.
Slotting three unanswered majors in the first term, O’Donoghue said the fast start was pivotal in setting up the victory.
“Coming into the game we just spoke about lifting our tempo and intensity to match that of a final, and the boys responded to that really well,” he said.
“Our first three goals came from pressure acts causing turnovers and that really set us on our way — it wasn’t pretty football but it was very effective and was the pillar behind us putting in such a great performance.”
Leading by 20 points at quarter time, Congupna continued to hold the Magpies at bay, as it managed to open the game up with its brave ball movement and extend the margin to 28 points.
And as they have done so brilliantly over the past two months, the Road dropped the hammer in the second half, showcasing its supreme fitness to boot four goals to two and run away 45-point winners.
Keeping the in-form Magpies to just four goals on the day, O’Donoghue praised the way his entire team defended as it proved it could win many different ways.
“All over the ground our defence was just superb,” he said.
“Our forwards put on great pressure, our mids played their roles sensationally and got right on top and it allowed our backs to set up well and get the better of Moama’s dangerous forward line.”
And while everyone played their part in delivering the victory, Jak Trewin’s heroics up forward were particularly crucial, as he booted five goals in the absence of the competition’s leading goal-kicker Daniel Campbell.
“Jak is such an exciting talent and is great to see him continue to grow and put in these standout performances,” O’Donoghue said.
“It was great to see him stand up for us yesterday but that has been the story all year, if it’s not Jak then its Piggy (Daniel Campbell) and if it’s not Piggy than its Schapes (Daniel Schaper).
“We have a really potent forward line who all take their turn in delivering for us, and I feel that has helped us have some success this year.”
Around the grounds, Tongala survived an early Rumbalara scare before running out convincing 22.17 (149) to 9.9 (63) victors at Mercury Drive.
Finding themselves 13 points down midway through the second term, the class of the Blues would come to the fore on either side of half time — with an eight-goal-to-one third term paving the way for the percentage-boosting win.
Makenzie Ryan booted seven goals in what was a standout performance up forward for Tongala, while Nicholas Jamieson and Michael Pryde were also prolific.
Steven Stallion was Rumbalara’s best with a spirited performance through the midfield, with Anthony Miller and Kane Atkinson also battling hard in the loss.
Deniliquin Rams went one step closer to securing their spot in the top six come finals time, destroying Barooga 24.12 (156) to 6.4 (40) at Barooga Recreation Reserve.
Todd Gallagher was the main man up forward for the Rams, booting nine goals in what was a dominant performance, while Riley Hamilton was deemed the visitors’ best on the day.