Numurkah has ticked off its first high-profile win of the Murray Football League campaign — and it could not have come at a better time.
An accurate Blues forward line hit the gas after half-time against Cobram to wrench a 13.5 (83) to 10.9 (69) win away at Scott Oval and push Sean Harrap’s troops into middle territory on the ladder.
At first glance, Numurkah’s ninth placing seems troubling.
However, given its next task, Mulwala, sits in third and is only four points clear indicates just how slim the breathing room is within the league.
Cobram is touted as a big fish in the 2024 MFL cast, but the Blues were able to rein in the Tigers on home soil thanks to a profitable third quarter.
Prior to that, an evenly keeled first stanza saw the scoreline read 20-all at the opening break.
Cobram slotted a quartet of majors after the restart and, though Numurkah pegged back a couple late, there was work to do after half-time for Harrap’s side.
Conceding the first two majors of the term, Numurkah kicked five unanswered goals to transform a 22-point deficit into a six-point advantage at the final change of ends.
Accuracy was indeed the difference when push came to shove, with Cobram only mustering a 1.4 fourth-quarter effort.
Comparatively, Numurkah’s 3.0 last charge all but sealed a memorable day on the track, with Harrap elated following the side’s sluggish start to the season.
“I’m really proud of the group. We’d done parts well throughout the first month and have obviously only had the one win — we'd done things well but (had) a lot of things to improve on,” he said.
“To come away with a good win against a good team was really rewarding and it can really send us in the right direction.”
Harrap said his Blues kept it tight enough throughout the opening two quarters to remain within striking distance of Cobram.
Then, when it came time to put the hammer down, Numurkah was able to break the shackles.
“It was a funny start, we were never really in front on the scoreboard in the first half but we were just there if that makes sense,” Harrap said.
“No doubt they were controlling territory and we were struggling to get a bit of forward momentum which has probably been a bit of a trend.
“We’ve had enough ball but hadn’t been able to finish that last kick off going inside 50.
“You could just see little things starting to turn; in the third quarter they’d kicked the first to go three goals up and then we kicked the next five.
“We won a few centre clearances, got first use out of the middle and got it forward and it just all happened which was good.”
The decision to throw Numurkah backman Brayden Sutton up forward paid dividends as he walked off the park with five majors, while Clancy Lester and Nathan Hicks were two of the Blues’ standouts.
Over at Nathalia Recreation Reserve, Congupna continued its wrecking form and consolidated its spot at the ladder’s head.
Another bag of seven for mercurial forward Kyle Mueller — his third seven or more haul in five games — rocketed the Road to a 48-point win against the Purples.
Nathalia was held scoreless during the first quarter as Congupna booted 6.4 to start the show, drilling three goals in each of the following terms to run out 15.9 (99) to 8.3 (51) victors.
It was a milestone day out for Congupna’s Curtley Allen, who brought up senior game number 250 in style.
Moama now occupies second spot on the table after muzzling Tongala in NSW, restricting the Blues to just three majors in a 43-point win.
At Hardinge St Oval, Rumbalara delivered Deniliquin Rams an almighty scare but was unable to totally derail the hosts in Jamie Atkinson’s 300th club game as the Lions held on for a 11.4 (70) to 8.5 (53) triumph.
Meanwhile, Mulwala’s 142-point beating of Echuca United was much more routine and Finley etched its name onto the winner’s list for the third time this season, toppling Barooga by 31 points.