Murray Football League kicks off with a series of bangs in big wins

Every one of the weekend’s victorious sides did so in total comfort, setting the table for high-reaching 2024 ambitions — perhaps none more so than Congupna.

Tasked with travelling to Lonsdale Oval, The Road brought its marquee signings to lock horns with those of reigning premier Mulwala on its turf.

What followed was a total blitz that nobody in attendance across the border saw coming.

The Lions struck first within a minute through Max Hemphill, but Congupna emphatically snuffed out any hopes of joy in the following 20 minutes with a sustained period where the ball lived in the visitor’s forward half.

The change of ends proved mildly beneficial for the home side, kicking to advantage but registering only a meagre dent in the margin by the long break.

Highly-touted Road forward Kyle Mueller took the affair by the scruff of its neck in a barnstorming third-quarter display.

He put the margin beyond 30 points at the scoring end shortly after the restart, adding two more majors in the term amid a six-goal blitz that opened up an astonishing 68-point gap at one stage.

Mueller’s sixth and final goal early in the final term briefly placed his own score above Mulwala’s, but the Lions at least eventually avoided that ignominy in a huge 15.14 (104) to 7.4 (46) win for The Road.

Congupna coach Ben Bingham was thrilled to make such an imposing statement, breaking a Good Friday drought in the process.

“It was a really nice way to start the season off. We purposefully got a few GVL clubs to do some practice games against us and make sure our intensity was up for round one,” Bingham said.

“It was a pleasing way to get going; we haven’t won up there on Good Friday and we’ve been playing there for a while.

“We felt like there was a bit of wind at one end and we weren't taking full advantage, but we've been trying to make sure our second halves are better than our first halves.”

Of course, the dynamic Mueller earned some plaudits as well.

“Kyle’s just come off his cricket season, so that was his first run for the year,” Bingham said.

“We’ll be tinkering around with things in this first month of football, but in saying that, he will be one to watch.

“He’s one you pay to come and see and he produced a bit on the weekend.”

Round one hype aside, though, Bingham said the lid was far from off despite brushing aside the reigning premier.

“We're a pretty mature group; it's only round one and you've really got to be on each week in this league,” Bingham said.

“Numurkah had a good win on the weekend, so that’ll be a tough challenge.

“We need to be on our A-game each week, so it’s about keeping each other accountable.”

While Congupna’s big day out might be the most impactful regarding premiership credentials, it was not the day’s largest thumping.

That honour belonged to Moama, an outfit that again established itself as one to watch in 2024 with a brutal 111-point shellacking of Echuca United.

The 18.15 (123) to 1.6 (12) result had Danny Brewster lead the way with four majors, while Golden Square recruit and ex-Kyabram forward Liam Barrett settled in well with a pair.

Numurkah came into its season opener against Rumbalara heavily fancied, but had to overcome some stern early resistance from its new-look foes.

Though Numurkah eventually ran out with the 21.13 (139) to 6.9 (45) result that many had presumed, Rumbalara’s signs of improvement were there, with its highest score kicked since round 17, 2022.

Tongala, which received plenty of extra publicity last year off the back of a prized AFL draftee whose name rhymes with “Harley Reid’’, could not ride that high into the new season after a tough defeat to Nathalia.

The Purples controlled it from the outset as Liam Evans and Alex Hicks put the term “tandem offence’’ to work with seven goals apiece in the 20.10 (130) to 6.11 (47) rout.

Good Friday football had its conclusion under the new Deniliquin lights at Hardinge Street Oval, but Finley shone on the occasion.

The Cats’ 12.10 (82) to 5.10 (40) win was the closest result in round one, with Finley riding the four goals of Paul Massingham and a stirring second quarter that produced five unanswered majors.

A border battle between Cobram and Barooga closed the round on Easter Saturday, with the Tigers flying home.

What looked like a proper tussle at the main break soon gave way as inaccurate goal-kicking cost the Hawks a genuine shout in the third term, with Cobram taking the chocolates over its local rival 16.9 (105) to 7.16 (58).