Mulwala has booked its ticket into the Murray Football League qualifying final with a gritty 13-point win over Congupna at Memorial Park.
Facing arguably the form team of the competition in The Road on their home deck, the Lions rose to the challenge, putting on a defensive masterclass to run out an 11.11 (77) to 9.10 (64) winner.
Showcasing the best of what Murray league football has to offer, both sides gave it their all in a fierce battle, with the lead not venturing past three goals for the entirety of proceedings.
But the class and experience of the Lions would prove vital in the end, leading at every change and thwarting every Congupna charge.
The result also ensured Mulwala finished the season in second spot, giving it the opportunity to play for a spot in the grand final against Cobram in a fortnight’s time.
One of its toughest wins of the home and away season, Lions co-coach Rohan Davies said he was incredibly proud of his team’s efforts.
“I was stoked with how the boys played, we knew they (Congupna) were going to be pretty good and full of confidence at their home ground,” Davies said.
“The game went right down to the final minutes and The Road just kept coming at us, so for the boys to soak up the pressure and come away with an important win, it was very satisfying.”
As the sun shone on Congupna, both teams brought the heat early, making scoring incredibly difficult in the first term.
Making the most of its opportunities, Mulwala took a narrow four-point lead into quarter-time, before flexing its muscles in the second quarter.
Led by a string of incredible efforts from the back six, the Lions kept the home team to one major for the period, while piling on a wasteful 3.5 themselves to head into the rooms 19 points clear.
But anybody who had watched Congupna play during the past three months would have known they would hit back hard in the second half.
And in the third term it made its move, getting its devastating running game back up and going to kick four goals and trim the margin back to 15 at the final change.
The Road continued the charge early in the last, constantly putting pressure on Mulwala’s defence as the deficit crept to within a goal.
With a top two finish on the line, the Lions would dig deep in the final 10 minutes however, with their experience lifting them to the vital victory.
Davies said the result was largely inspired by his defenders, who limited dangerous Congupna duo Jak Trewin and Daniel Schaper to a combined one goal on the day.
“Our defenders have been unreal all year and I think Congupna has one of the most dangerous forward lines in the competition, so to keep them to nine goals was a great effort,” he said.
“James Wilson, Josh Tonna and Lachlan Rouel, they really stood up under some intense pressure, especially at the end, they won some big contests and really set up the win for us.”
He also didn’t understate the magnitude of the victory, with his team now perfectly poised to make a September charge.
“The way the finals are set up, if you don’t make that top two you are coming from a fair way back having to win three finals in a row to get to the big one,” Davies said.
“Getting that week off to refresh will be vital for us and gives us a great opportunity to have a good crack at Cobram and potentially win our way into a grand final.”
Elsewhere, Cobram survived an almighty scare to run away a 10.10 (70) to 4.13 (37) victory over Deniliquin and secure the minor premiership.
Trailing by six points at the final change, a final-quarter onslaught lifted the Tigers to victory, booting six unanswered goals to run away 33-point winners.
Moama enjoyed a comfortable 12.16 (88) to 3.6 (24) win over Numurkah to lock in a fourth-placed finish.
Twelve goals between Jack Hammond, Cameron Illett and Makenzie Ryan lifted Tongala to a crushing 22.14 (146) to 9.6 (60) triumph over Finley.
While it won’t be playing finals, Nathalia finished its season on a high, belting Rumbalara 22.23 (155) to 4.5 (29) at Mercury Drive.
And Echuca United ended its campaign in style, destroying Barooga 16.8 (104) to 9.14 (68).