Now, the rooms at Tongala Recreation Reserve will add another flag to their rafters.
The Blues’ claimed a 25-point victory against Rumbalara on Saturday afternoon in a low scoring game, kicking 9.11 (65) to Rumbalara’s 6.4 (40).
As the final siren rang out around the Finley Recreation Reserve, the crowd was flooded by many of the supporters who had made their way north to cheer the side on.
And for coach Steve Joyce, that culture is what made his team succeed.
“It’s mateship,” he said.
“It’s all mateship for us. We are all one at our club, no one is better than anyone else, and when you see the way everyone reacted in the aftermath of this match, it really shows.”
The Blues lead all day, taking advantage of the wind to gain the ascendancy.
While the Rumba produced strongly at stages, and looked to be making something of a charge in the early stages of the final quarter, the Blues were able to hold them off and put the game on ice in the final minutes.
“It really is a fantastic feeling to get a win like this,” Joyce said.
“It’s been 55 years since we have been able to claim a flag in the reserves, it’s something every one of us has been working for, and to get this success is very special for all of us.”
Joyce said having success in as tough a competition as the Murray League was a major achievement.
“Its enormous to be able to do it,” he said.
“There is a lot of talent in the Murray League, it’s an incredibly high standard, so for our club to have two football sides competing for premierships is huge for Tongala.
“The other key thing for us is that we are all still young. We have a lot of football ahead of us no matter what the level, so hopefully there is a lot more success ahead of us.”
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