MFL | Magpie magic! Moama stuns Cobram

With 20 minutes gone in the final term, Riley Murphy kicked the goal that put the Magpies in front. Then, after repelling a Cobram attack, skipper Jack Russell kicked the sealer to clinch a memorable 8.8 (56) to 6.13 (49) win.

There was plenty of emotion on display after the final siren.

“It’s pretty electric,” Moama coach Sam Sheldon said.

“There are a few boys in our side who haven’t had a win against the top side in three or four years. It’s a good experience for them to enjoy it.”

There was a big crowd on hand to witness the amazing victory, with Moama hosting its past players day as well as four premiership reunions.

There was an old school feeling too, with the Magpies wearing special heritage jumpers to mark the heritage round.

The Magpies have now knocked off the first and second-placed sides in Cobram and Mulwala in back-to-back weeks, something Sheldon said was huge in the lead-up to finals.

“It’s a great build-up to finals for us. We are going to be playing both Cobram and Mulwala come finals time. I don’t know how it will all fall, but they will be there,” he said.

“We still have a lot of improving to do which is good, so it does give us a lot of confidence. It means our base-line game is more than strong enough.

“There was a big crowd here today which was really great to see, and I’m glad we could turn it on for the old boys who have won flags.”

The Tigers kicked three goals to one in the first term to lead by 14 points at the first change.

Moama trimmed the deficit to six at the main break, but Cobram had the better third quarter and padded its advantage out to 15 points.

The tension was palpable in the final term with a boisterous home crowd doing its best to help lift the Magpies to victory. But midway through the final term it looked like Cobram would hold on, with the Tigers still clinging to the lead.

With Moama putting the Cobram backline under immense pressure, Jye Warren kicked the Pies’ first of the final term to trim the margin to six.

Murphy’s goal at the 21-minute mark then gave his side the lead, before Russell iced the game with an arrow-straight set shot that sealed the win.

Russell and Fraser Buchanan each had two majors on the day for Moama, while Matthew DeMaio kicked two goals for Cobram.

After an intense battle, Sheldon said he was impressed with his side’s effort throughout the game.

“I was impressed with how hard we went for four quarters,“ he said.

“Blokes were pretty beaten up out there and they kept throwing their bodies in.

“Our group has incredible resilience and resolve, they just love to hang in there.

“We talk about it a lot, but if we are within a couple of goals at three-quarter time, we know we are a very good chance of winning the game.”

For Cobram, a side that had gone 12 rounds unbeaten has now lost two games in as many weeks.

Tigers coach John Brunskill tipped his cap to Moama after the game, but said he wasn’t panicking after back-to-back defeats.

“We were outclassed today by a better side. Moama played well,” Brunskill said.

“They had a really good crowd and they wanted to put on a good show for them. They are a good side.

“We have lost two games by a total of eight points, we certainly aren’t chucking the baby out with the bath water.

“I think we need to get back to basics. We just have to get back to basics and hit the training track.

“We are still good enough. We’ll go back to the drawing board now and prepare for this week.”

The Tigers still sit in top spot on the ladder, one game clear of Tongala with four rounds to go. Meanwhile, Moama dropped to fourth on the ladder despite the win, with Mulwala jumping into third on percentage.

The Magpies will face another huge test this weekend when they travel to take on Tongala, while Cobram will look to bounce back when it hosts Echuca United.