As the saying goes ― never write off a champion ― especially one that has won the past five Murray Football League premierships.
After dropping its first four games of the 2022 season, it appeared Nathalia’s dynasty was finally over, with the departure of many of its former champions opening the door for a rebuild.
But fast forward four weeks and it appears the Purples of old are back in business, with a 24-point upset win over a star-studded Tongala catapulting them back into top six contention.
Handing the Blues a third straight loss, Nathalia coach Mal Barnes said it was a well-balanced performance that got his team over the line.
“I just think it was a really good team effort, we had a real focus on everyone having to play their part, we couldn’t just rely on our top six to get it done,” Barnes said.
“We had no passengers for the entire four quarters, everyone was quite even across the whole board, which was super.”
Coming up against a Tongala team going through a slump for the first time in three years, the Purples looked to capitalise early, bringing the heat to pile on five first-quarter goals.
“We’re at a stage where we’ve got a bit of a younger brigade, so the start was always going to be huge,” Barnes said.
“Obviously with them losing a couple going into it, the focus for us was to put pressure on them and really take the game to them, which I thought we did really well.
“In that first term we played with high energy and embraced the contest, which put us in great stead for the rest of the match.”
Tongala would work its way back into the contest in the third term, keeping the Purples goalless to trim the margin to nine points at the final change.
But with a home crowd behind it, Nathalia found an extra gear in the final term, booting four goals to secure the upset victory.
A win that puts the Purples back up into seventh spot on the ladder, Barnes said taking this scalp would give his young group a major confidence boost.
“This win will give us heaps of drive, we know when we play our best footy we can match it with anyone, so to see it come to fruition against a team like Tongala is huge,” he said.
“We just want to keep building, keep playing some good footy and keep getting games into our youth, and this win shows we are on the right track.”
In terms of standouts, Glenn Boyd was the focal point for the hosts up forward booting four goals, while Brodie Ross, Clancy Congues and Alex Hicks were prolific.
For Tongala, Jack Hammond, Corey Nexhip and Nicholas Jamieson were among the best in the defeat.
Elsewhere, Congupna made it five wins on the trot, easily accounting for Numurkah by 56 points.
After being kept goalless in the first term, The Road fought their way back into the contest to be three points adrift at half-time.
With the momentum at its back, Congupna hammered home the advantage in the second half, booting 10 goals to one to come away with a percentage boosting triumph.
Deniliquin was forced to fight to the end to come away with a gritty 13-point win over Finley on the road.
After a dominant first half, the Rams were faced with a Finley avalanche in the third term, coughing up five goals to open the door for a grandstand finish.
But as it has done all year, Deniliquin showed its class late to shut the door on an unlikely Cats victory.
Jake Dick-O'Flaherty, Cable Fitzpatrick and Brayden Hall were the stars for the triumphant visitors, while Isaac Corvo, Archibald Mason and Benji Neal were gallant for Finley.
Mulwala flexed its muscles with a clinical 202-point win over Rumbalara at Lonsdale Oval.
Jack Sutherland was the star up forward for the Lions, booting 11 goals in a scintillating performance, while Adam Rouel chipped in with six majors of his own.
Being kept scoreless until the third term there weren’t too many winners for Rumba, with Justin Terlich, Steven Stallion and Andre Briggs trying their hearts out in the loss.
Moama did what it needed to do against cross-town rival Echuca United, as it registered a tough 38-point win at Echuca South Recreation Reserve.
Jordan Ives, Jack Russell and Grady Ward were the standouts for the Magpies, while Darcy Ramage, Lachlan Carmody and Max Childs worked hard for the host.
Cobram continued its dominance, destroying cross-border rival Barooga by 118 points.
Adam De Cicco was once again dominant for the Tigers, booting six goals in a best-on-ground performance, while Tyron Baden, Sam Beasley and Izac Artavilla were prolific in the big win.