MFL - elimination finals wrap

Although superstar BJ Squire went down in the opening stages of the clash with a potential shoulder injury after a heavy bump, The Road was still able to snare a foothold in the middle of the ground thanks to the likes of Jimmy Boyer and Sam Ferguson.

Curtley Allen was the star of the show for Congupna, while Daniel Campbell (five goals) and Jak Trewin (four) dominated in attack despite some overall wayward kicking from both outfits.

‘‘It’s probably about 20 years since we won a final, so it’s really special,’’ Congupna co-coach David Gee said.

‘‘Not just for the current players, but a lot of the committee and people around the club and a lot of supporters that have been through the tough times, so it’s really rewarding.

‘‘We really knew we had to work hard and tidy up on a few little things. We’ve just got to back ourselves, we’re a side that once we’ve got our confidence up we’re pretty hard to toss.

‘‘When BJ went down it could have gone two ways because we rely on him a lot, but all of our players stood up, I was really happy with that.’’

The Tigers had the better of the initial forays of the clash, with Nic Hoban kicking his side’s first three majors, but could not go with The Road when the side lifted gears either side of half-time.

A five-point Cobram lead at the first break gave way to a 21-point Congupna advantage at the next change, before a 46-point gap at the final change told the tale of the match.

Sam Beasley, Nick Dore, Daniel Clarke, Harry Beasley, Adam De Cicco and Sam Gemmill were among the Tigers who impressed throughout the game as their season came to a close.

For The Road, a battle with Echuca United awaits on Sunday at Nathalia Recreation Reserve.

‘‘We didn’t have a passenger again, which makes it hard because we left five guys out this week, so there’s pressure on positions so everyone had to perform,’’ Gee said.

‘‘We know we’ve got a big game on our hands next week so we’ll rest them up and make sure they’re all good to go.’’

Across at Jubilee Park there was no jubilation for home side Tungamah as Tongala ran away with a 44-point elimination final win.

The Blues had to work hard early in the piece but were able to put the foot down after half-time, kicking seven goals to two in the third term to break the game wide open.

Coby McCarthy booted five majors for the Blues — who will take on Mulwala at Cobram’s Scott Oval on Saturday — while Cam Ilett, Anthony Dennis, Riley Bacon, Kyle Fitzgerald and Michael Pryde also stood out in the win.

‘‘It was a fantastic effort from the whole side,’’ Tongala coach Jordan Souter told the Riverine Herald.

‘‘We had 21 contributors on the afternoon, everyone did their job.

‘‘We spoke through the week about how important it was for us to have everyone play their part and contribute if we were going to win.

‘‘We don’t have one guy who wins the game off this own showing, we all contribute, and it’s what got us over the line in this match.’’

Nick Lawless managed five goals for the Bears as Angus Ford, Will Sharp and Terence Jones also impressed.