It’s confirmed: Nathalia is a genuine Murray Football League premiership contender in 2022.
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Coming into its round 13 trip to Cobram on the back of five straight wins, you would have struggled to find any pundit that thought the winning streak would continue against a Tigers outfit that has dominated the Murray League in 2022.
But remarkably, the five-time reigning premier showed it was not willing to hand over the baton just yet, prevailing 10.8 (68) to 10.7 (67) at Scott Oval in a result that blows the finals race wide open.
A win that spawned from a dominant six-goal-to-nil second quarter, Nathalia showed that Cobram is in fact beatable as it dominated around the contest and didn’t let it get its clinical attacking game going.
Purples coach Mal Barnes said the result showed how far his team had come in such a short period.
“I am super proud of the group, obviously Cobram were sitting on top of the ladder and hadn’t lost a game for a reason; they are a good side,” Barnes said.
“We just knew every one of us had to play a role and take our chances to be in with a shot of winning and to the boys’ credit that’s what we did.
“It was a complete team performance and something we can build upon moving forward.”
Renowned for its fast starts, Cobram once again shot out of the gate on its home deck, piling on five first-quarter goals to put pressure on the Purples.
But where all other teams had faded away, Nathalia embraced the challenge, hitting back hard in the second term to take the lead.
Barnes explained the mindset after the slow start.
“They definitely got a bit of a jump on us, but we still got enough of the footy, so there was definitely confidence there at quarter time,” he said.
“For us it was contested footy where we managed to turn the game and from there we managed to get more players involved and deliver the ball to our dangerous forwards.
“As the confidence grew we got a bit of a run-on and played some great footy.”
Trailing by 16 points at the main change, Cobram began to regain ascendancy in the third term but couldn’t quite put its dominance on the scoreboard, trimming the deficit to 11.
With a home crowd behind them, the Tigers would roar early in the last, booting the first three goals to reclaim the lead.
As all roads led to a 13th Cobram victory of the season, Nathalia showed its premiership calibre, shifting the momentum and piling on the three goals needed to steal victory.
“In the end it just came down to the fact we had nothing to lose and played with a bit of freedom,” Barnes said of the way his team finished the game.
“We didn’t make anything easy for them and really played a gutsy brand of football.”
For Nathalia, Glenn Boyd continued his sparkling form, booting three goals, while Harrison Hawks and Tom Nihill were prolific across the ground.
Kyle Coates was a standout for the Tigers along with Lewis Kennedy and Jack Wilson.
Around the grounds, Moama recorded a pivotal 8.15 (63) to 7.8 (50) win over Mulwala to move into equal second on the ladder.
Zac Stovell was the standout for the Magpies, producing a blistering performance, while Fraser Buchanan was the focal point up forward, booting three goals.
Tongala shot back into the top two with a clinical 12.13 (85) to 7.8 (50) win over Deniliquin Rams.
Darren Ewing was the main man up forward for the Blues, booting four, while Kyle Fitzgerald took home best-on-ground honours.
Congupna bounced back from its disappointing loss to Nathalia last time out with a dominant 17.17 (119) to 1.6 (12) win over Echuca United.
Daniel Campbell was the star of the day, booting 10 goals for the Road.
Numurkah recorded a much-needed 12.14 (86) to 10.8 (68) win over Barooga.
Finley rounded out the weekend’s action with a clinical 14.15 (99) to 3.18 (36) win over Rumbalara.
MMG sports reporter