It is official: Cobram is the real deal.
The Murray Football League outfit ran rampant on Saturday afternoon, downing the previously undefeated Tongala in emphatic fashion at Cobram’s Scott Oval.
Hyped pre-game as one of the contests of the season so far, the result was never in doubt, with Cobram piling on 50 unanswered points in the first quarter.
A second-term fightback from the Blues made things interesting, however the Tigers’ lead never felt in real trouble and they held strong to take out the win, 14.9 (93) to 6.9 (45).
Speaking after the game, Cobram coach John Brunskill said the first quarter was fantastic.
“It’s always dangerous coming off a week break into a game of football, so the focus was to start pretty well and the boys did,” Brunskill said.
“We controlled the footy, that was our biggest thing.
“Tongala are obviously a really good side so we wanted the challenge too, and they’ll be there at the business end of the season, don’t you worry about that.”
Tyron Baden was named best-on-ground for the Tigers, with the number 36 kicking five majors and playing a key role in the home side’s fast start, while Cadeyn Williams and Harry Beasley also stood out.
“You could probably name most of the side. Our backline stood up to hold a quality opposition to six goals, so that was really pleasing as well,” Brunskill said.
Despite the bright start to the year, Brunskill was not getting ahead of himself, highlighting a number of tough fixtures on the horizon.
“We’ve got a really important month for the football club coming up,” he said.
For Tongala, the disappointing loss brings to an end a run of 20 consecutive wins.
The side was unable to keep up with the fast-starting Tigers, with Cobram’s early pressure and speed leaving the visitors behind from the get-go.
Tongala coach Jordan Souter said it was the first quarter that lost his side the game.
“We matched it for three quarters, it was really just that first quarter where they blitzed us,” he said.
“They’re going to take some stopping, especially on their home ground.
“There is still plenty of positives from today’s game — we know we can match it with them for three quarters, we’ve got to do it for four though.
“To our credit we fought it out after quarter-time and really matched it with them throughout the game.”
Brock McLean was named Tongala’s best for his work in defence, while Kyle Fitzgerald did well in the ruck and Jack Hammond played well.
“There wasn’t a lot of standouts, everyone sort of just worked hard on the day,” Souter said.
The region’s other Murray Football League side, Barooga, fell to a solid Congupna side by 48 points on Saturday.
The Hawks pushed the Road all the way, with coach Jackson Trengove kicking eight goals, however it was not to be.
Barooga will be looking to return to the winners list on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Nathalia at 2pm, while Cobram will travel to the Hardinge Street Oval to take on the Deniliquin Rams, also at 2pm.