Congupna's Robbie Mifka looks down the field for a teammate.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Congupna remains undefeated in the Murray Football League after a tense tussle against Numurkah on Saturday.
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The Road hosted the Blues in a top-of-the-table clash and a determined first half from the visitors had the game looking to go down to the wire.
The opening term went goal-for-goal, with an extra behind sneaking Congupna in front at the first siren, 3.3 (21) to 3.2 (20).
The second term played out similarly, with Congupna’s lead reaching five points at the main break, as The Road’s Sam Barbuto and Daniel Schaper doubled up their individual goal tallies.
Despite its initial dogged effort Numurkah would become unable to withstand the attacking persistence of Congupna after hitting the sheds, with The Road piling on 11 scoring shots to two in the third term.
The Blues remained a sniff in the contest though as The Road kicked 4.7 to Numurkah’s two straight, leaving a four-goal deficit to overcome in the last.
However, the momentum had been built in Congupna’s favour and three goals to two in the last would see The Road extend to a 32-point victory at the final siren, defeating the Blues 13.13 (91) to 9.5 (59).
Congupna coach Ben Bingham stated dusting off a bit of “clunkiness” was what set the wheels in motion for an “important” scoring term in the third quarter.
“It was always going to be a tight tussle in a top-of-the-table clash, we knew we didn’t have everything on our terms early, we had a bit of clunkiness, I guess, and our defensive pressure that we’ve had for the previous few weeks wasn’t quite there,” Bingham said.
“So to produce 11 scoring shots in the third quarter was important to get us going.”
Congupna’s Bryden Squire earned best on, while Jordan O'Dwyer was named best afield for Numurkah, as five Congupna seniors finished with multiple goals as The Road had eight individual goal-kickers.
“It’s something we’ve really focused on, being unpredictable with how we’re entering the ball inside 50,” Bingham said.
“It makes it hard for teams to gauge where our scoring avenues are coming from, so to have a strong balance across the team scoring-wise has been pleasing.”
Numurkah will take on Finley this week, the Cats coming off a sizeable maiden win in round seven against Rumbalara.
Finley defeated Rumba by 118 points to land its first win of 2026 after five tight losses, while Mulwala’s 70-point win over Echuca United was also a landslide result.
Congupna will take on top-four side Tongala, which beat reigning premier Cobram on Saturday.
Tongala held on for dear life to stop a scary surge deep in the fourth term against the Tigers, with the Blues avoiding surrendering a 23-point half-time lead to win 15.4 (94) to 14.12 (96).
Bingham stated the challenge of consecutive top-four opponents would only improve The Road’s resolve and reduce complacency during the middle stages of the season.
“It’s good for the group, everyone stays switched on and our training standards will stay high when you get these back-to-back (blockbusters),” he said.
“It’s a credit to the league though, how even the comp is this year, there’s a lot of good teams going around, a lot of close games and every match is a genuine contest.”
Additionally, Moama defeated Deniliquin by 11 points in the round’s final game, with Nathalia returning in round eight from the bye.
News photographer Rechelle Zammit captured the reserves action between Congupna and Numurkah.
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