MFL | Tongala slumps to second straight loss after Congupna upset

Congupna’s 14.8 (92) to 9.12 (66) victory came on the back of five goals to Jak Trewin and four to Dan Schaper, while Tongala’s Cam Ilett had plenty of the ball to go with his three goals for the losing side.

Brock McLean and Malcolm Hedges joined Ilett in Tongala’s best players, but it was the Road which made the most of overcast conditions in a scrappy first half.

Tongala took a slender lead into the quarter-time break, but Congupna kicked the first goal of the second quarter to take the lead for the first time.

Ilett and Dom Watt responded with back-to-back goals for the Blues, but Congupna forwards Trewin and Dan Campbell struck back, with Orien Kerr and Hugo Ingham exerting their influence through the midfield.

A goal on the half-time siren from Congupna’s Ben Bingham saw his side snatch an eight-point lead, and that buffer was not challenged from there with the Road’s four-goal-to-one third quarter proving decisive.

It was Congupna’s first win over Tongala since round 14, 2019, and more importantly it lifts the Road in to the top six for the first time since round one.

Blues coach Jordan Souter said his side had hit a form slump, but he claimed it was too early to write off Tongala.

“A lot of people will probably start to write us off, but within our playing group we know we’re better than what we’ve been performing,” Souter said.

“We just have to keep working on the basics and get back to playing basic footy.

“(Congupna) definitely outworked us, both ways they worked really hard.

“We’re just not finding our best footy, and it’s come to show against the good sides — you have to play good footy to beat them.

“We just have to find the spark again.”

Souter said his side would need to improve with the gap between the Blues and the rest of the competition narrowing.

“We’ve been up for a long time and every club is out to beat us, they’ve got nothing to lose,” he said.

“We’ve always been hunted these last few years, but now they’re finally getting a hold of us.

“We have got to find a way to get better.”

For Congupna, belief will be sky-high after its fourth-straight win while also climbing into the top six, and the Road coach Kevin O’Donoghue said it was exactly the result his side needed.

“We had been really competitive against those top sides like Cobram, Mulwala and Deniliquin, who we played in the first five weeks, and I felt we had chances to win those games,” O’Donoghue said.

“So to finally get that reward for effort and take that big scalp in Tongala, it just gives us so much confidence that we are up there with the best this season.”

O’Donoghue heaped praise on his young side, with the usual Congupna suspects lifting when it mattered most.

“Jak (Trewin) kicked five and Daniel (Schraper) kicked four, so the forwards were really good,” he said.

“Our midfielders in Hugo (Ingham), Orien (Kerr), Jimmy (Boyer) and Tate (Mifka) really set the tone and our backs just played their roles sensationally.

“Joel Shannon on the wing did an awesome job on (Jack) Hammond, who’s a great player, so his role on the day was just sensational.”

The result sees Tongala drop to fourth on the ladder, and the Blues will be aiming to rebound quickly in round 11 against Nathalia.