Wet, wild and willing at Tongala as Cats reign supreme

Increased work rate in boggy, chilly conditions helped the Blues work themselves back into the contest, with Sam Cipriani, Jordan Souter, and Kyle Fitzgerald hitting the scoreboard.

Finley was kept to just two behinds for the quarter, but it was still enough to hold a pivotal 11-point lead.

Tempers flared at the half-time siren as Coby McCarthy and Bailey Reeves came to blows, resulting in an all-in fracas to inject a level of spice into the contest.

The altercation seemed to inspire the home side, with Tom Cooper finding the first goal of the second half before Jack Sinclair’s set-shot goal handed Tongala the lead at the 10-minute mark of the third quarter, an inspired comeback in difficult conditions.

But a Tom and Charlie Lang spree saw Finley boot the final three goals of the quarter, reclaiming and extending its lead to 20 points heading into the final term.

The clash descended into an arm wrestle in wet conditions, and despite a second goal to Cooper, it would only be a consolation prize as the Cats' third-quarter burst proved enough to secure their seventh victory.

Finley’s 19-point triumph has created a log-jam on the ladder from fifth to the Cats’ eighth position, with all four teams tied on seven wins and five defeats.

But for the Blues, the equation is becoming increasingly difficult.

With six games remaining, Tongala is four games adrift of the top six in 10th.

And with five of those upcoming clashes on the run homecoming against teams in the top six, it will take nothing short of its best footy to manufacture a winning run to the 2023 finish line.

The Murray league will hold its league bye this weekend, with the Blues set to resume in round 14 against Cobram.