Sport
Courageous Congupna falls to Mulwala as Numurkah celebrates clean sweep
A valiant Congupna has come close to causing a huge upset against one of Murray Netball League’s top sides, while Numurkah celebrated a landmark achievement for the club at the weekend.
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Facing off against a Mulwala team that had lost once this season, Congupna was almost able to pull off what would have been a remarkable upset.
The Road went toe-to-toe with a strong Lions side and held multiple leads at various stages, but it was Mulwala that was able to edge in front and prevail 39-34 at Congupna Recreation Reserve.
Congupna coach Jodie Fleming said it was a fantastic performance from her side, even if it couldn’t come away with the four points.
“I loved it, it was excellent. It was a terrific game to watch,’’ Fleming said.
“It was amazing to see the improvement from my girls, which I knew we had.
“We had a couple of weeks where we were practising some stuff but couldn’t quite get it together, but they absolutely put it together yesterday and it was fantastic.
“Everyone that took that court was outstanding and did their job really well.”
The closeness of the match and five-goal margin was polar opposite to the first time the two sides met, with the Lions roaring to a huge 34-goal win in round two.
“We were always in the hunt, which I was really happy about. It was a massive turnaround just to see the improvement against one of those top three sides,” Fleming said.
“It shows us that we are in it, we just have to make sure we keep playing as well as we are and keep building on the improvement we have made so we can hopefully get back into that top six at some point and get into the finals.
“We kept our composure and really thought about what we were doing on Saturday and that made a big difference. Defensively I think we have improved out of sight and that has also helped.”
Fleming praised her team’s effort across the board, highlighting Sarah O’Sullivan, Taylah Durden and Morgan Zotti as three of the standouts.
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Safe hands: Congupna’s Ashleigh Rae receives a pass. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 10
On a roll: Tess McNamara and Mulwala have now won six games on the trot after topping Mulwala on Saturday. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 10
Reaching high: Sophie Sidebottom looks to grab a rebound. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 10
On the ball: Congupna’s Kate Boswell in action. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 10
Contest: Mulwala’s Emma-Jane Bond battles to hold on to the ball Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 10
On the lookout: Congupna’s Kate Boswell searches for a pass. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 10
Well defended: Mulwala’s Grace Thomson deflects a pass. Photo by Megan FisherImage 8 of 10
Great day out: Congupna’s Sarah O’Sullivan was one of the standout players for the Road. Photo by Megan FisherImage 9 of 10
Over the top: Mulwala’s Lily Sharp makes a pass. Photo by Megan FisherImage 10 of 10
Team effort: Congupna coach Jodie Fleming said all of her side’s players performed well against Mulwala. Photo by Megan FisherMeanwhile at Numurkah, the Blues notched a stellar achievement for the club as all seven of its senior and junior netball sides won against Tocumwal on Saturday.
“We won all grades yesterday. We have really struggled in the netball for the last few years, so it was a super positive day,” Blues A-grade coach Fi Elliott said.
“Our 15-and-unders got their first win for the year, so that was really exciting, it was a good day all round.”
In the A-grade clash, the Blues picked up win number four in 2023 after prevailing against Tocumwal 49-35.
After a tight three quarters, Numurkah was finally able to pull clear in the second half to earn a key four points that keeps it in the mix for the top six.
Elliott said it was a tough match against the Bloods, who are still chasing their first victory of the season.
“They (Tocumwal) are winless for the season, but it is a mystery how they are. Looking at their scores previously they aren’t losing by a lot, so we knew it was going to be a tough game for us,” Elliott said.
“It was a tough first half for sure. We were only up by five or so at three-quarter time, they were just really hard to shake.
“We had a great final quarter to pull away and push the lead out a bit, it was good. It was a good win to get.
“Our goal third structure seemed to open up a little bit more. We were more patient and smarter with the ball in the second half, which was really good to see.”
After not winning a game in 2022, Elliott said it was great to see the Blues up and about again this season
“The biggest positive is for us has obviously been having some wins, but also we have been competitive in matches against the higher ranked teams,” she said.
“We are not having those blowouts that we had last year.
"I’d like to see at least another four wins from here and keep pushing to be in the mix for finals.
In other results, league leader Deniliquin remained unbeaten after hammering Finley 79-29. Tongala was a big winner too, defeating Nathalia 65-38.
Moama held off Echuca United to prevail 45-42, while Cobram bettered Barooga 42-31.