Moama and Tongala provided a glimpse of post-season action when they faced off on Saturday, and if their thrilling clash is anything to go by, the Murray Netball League is in for a fantastic finals series.
The Blues and Magpies faced off on a sunny day in Tongala, with Moama claiming a riveting one-goal win that moves it ahead of Tongala on the ladder.
It was neck-and-neck from the get-go — the Blues led by two goals at half-time and then by just one at the final change, before the Magpies got over the top to triumph 44-43.
With three rounds to go and the play-offs just around the corner, both Moama coach Lisa Drysdale and Tongala mentor Paige Wade said Saturday’s clash certainly felt like a final.
“It definitely did. The sun was out, it was warm, there were heaps of people out there, it certainly had a finals vibe to it,” Drysdale said.
Wade agreed it was “very much like a final.”
“It was a great experience for both sides. It was a really good game to play at that standard,” she said.
Drysdale said she was thrilled to get the four points, especially with the way her side hung on to its lead at the end.
“A lot of the girls had that real excitement after the win. It is good to get the result, it was an awesome game,” she said.
“At one stage it was goal-for-goal. In those final few minutes we were just one goal up, and without any errors we just got to hold that lead. The defenders really stood up, they were unreal.
“They have a big target in Millie Brock, but Jodie Lake had a fantastic game against her. It was unreal.”
With Moama and Tongala sitting fourth and fifth on the ladder, there is a good chance the two will face off for the third time this year in an elimination final, adding extra significance to the weekend’s clash.
“To play Tonny leading up to the finals and knowing that we will probably play them in the first final was huge,” Drysdale said.
“It’s good to match up against them and know that we can win. It will hopefully keep it fresh in our mind how we need to match up against them.”
Drysdale said Lake played a key role for the Pies down back, with Liv Mackenzie and Carri Carter also standing out.
“Liv did a great job in wing defence and Carri came up from B-grade as well and did a good job in centre. Everyone played a really hard, defensive game,” Drysdale said.
For Tongala, Wade said the loss was a tough pill to swallow, but there were still positives to take away from the performance.
“Obviously one-goal losses are disappointing, but we were still very happy with our performance and there were still so many positives to take out of it,” Wade said.
“While we had that initial disappointment, we know it was a great performance and that come finals we are right with these teams.
“We played really, really well. Our defenders did a good job of mixing it up and keeping their goalers guessing.”
Wade said Jemma Brennan, Corey Drennan and Grace Hammond were three of the top performers for her side against the Pies.
“Jemma got second-best and Corey combined really well with her. That was probably their best game together as defenders, I think,” Wadesaid.
“Grace Hammond in wing defence helped them out immensely, too. She got best-on and had a really good game.”
It was the second time Moama has got the job done over Tongala this season, with the Pies topping the Blues 52-45 back in round six.
With the margin dropping down to just one goal this time around, Wade said it was certainly an improved effort against the Pies from her side.
“We played really well in the first half the last time we played Moama, and then in the second half they got on top of us. That’s one of the biggest positives that I can take away as a coach, that we were able to maintain our performance for much longer,” she said.
“Obviously we would have liked to finish off that fourth quarter a little bit more, but it was probably our most complete game.
“The four-quarter performance was probably our best so far this season, which is a good thing we’ll take away.”
Elsewhere in the MNL, league-leader Deniliquin confirmed its status as the top side in the competition with a three-goal win over second-placed Rumbalara.
The Rams are undefeated through 15 games this season, and they now boast two wins over their nearest rival Rumba in 2022.
In other results, Mulwala kept its spot in the top six thanks to a 44-24 win over Barooga, Finley had a narrow 40-39 victory over Congupna, Cobram topped Echuca United 46-32 and Nathalia hammered Numurkah 66-10.