The home side couldn’t contain Congupna’s run and spread as they comfortably cut through the Rams’ defensive structure with slick ball movement and superior skills.
Try as they might, the Rams were under constant pressure every time they had possession of the Sherrin and were ultimately forced into turnovers.
However, the 118-point final margin could have been worse, with the visitors kicking the first seven goals of the match within the opening 15 minutes before Rams teenager Charlie Hillier halted the momentum somewhat with a mark and goal.
At that stage, it looked as if the Road were headed for a 200-plus point victory.
To the Rams’ credit, they fought it out until the end and made some gradual improvements as the match wore on.
The best quarter was the third term, where they kicked two goals and held Congupna to three.
Deni’s best player was Angus Durnan who presented manfully all day, firstly as a key forward before swapping into the ruck in the second half and taking a fine mark and kicking a goal in the third term.
Bailey Townsend continued his consistent season from the back flank and never stopped trying to break the line with his run and carry.
Fifteen year-old Chase Bartlett was equally impressive on the wing with his contest work and tackling.
Other good players for the Rams were defenders Harry Hillier and Brad Poka, who both never stopped trying even with the ball coming at them so regularly.
Veteran Todd Gallagher, Sam Willoughby, Will Henderson and Kai Hillier were all extremely gallant through the midfield despite being outclassed by Congupna’s depth of quality midfielders.
Final score: Congupna 22.17 (149) def Deniliquin Rams 4.7 (31).
Despite the loss, the Rams held their place in sixth position and this week host Finley on Saturday of the King’s Birthday Weekend.
Best players: Angus Durnan, Bailey Townsend, Chase Bartlett, Harry Hillier, Kai Hillier, Brad Poka.
Goals: Charlie Hillier, Angus Durnan, Sam Willoughby, Brodie Elphick.
Reserves:
The Magoos were very serviceable in the first half, kicking four goals to Congupna’s 10 despite being a bit undermanned.
But an impressive nine-goal third quarter from the visitors snuffed out any chance of an unlikely victory.
Like the seniors, the boys could hold their heads high for effort but were ultimately outclassed by a fit and skilled side.
Cam Robinson was lion hearted in the ruck and battled away all day, veteran Brett Macdonald was a shining light up forward and Dylan May and Brodie Park crashed plenty of packs.
Other good players were Oliver Fagan and Liam Pitts with their tackling pressure, the latter returning from injury for his first appearance of the season, and crafty forward Ben Nisbet led the scoring with two majors.
Final score: Congupna 22.8 (140) def Deniliquin Rams 5.5 (35).
Best players: Cameron Robinson, Dylan May, Liam Pitts, Brett Macdonald, Oliver Fagan, Brodie Park
Goals: Ben Nisbet 2, Liam Pitts, Brodie Park, Darren Baxter.
Thirds:
Deni ground out a win over Congupna in what was a low-scoring affair.
The game never reached great heights in terms of quality, with both sides struggling to gain any real momentum or flow.
Deni started with a slender lead at quarter-time and extended the margin slightly by half-time with a more accurate 3.1 to Congupna's 1.5.
A tight third term saw Deni keep their nose in front, heading into the final change 10 points up.
Congupna threatened late, but Deni held on in the final quarter to take the points.
It was far from a polished performance, with a lack of fluency and in the end, it was a case of doing just enough.
Special thanks go to our fourths players who stepped up once again to help out.
Final score: Deniliquin Rams 5.5 (35) def. Congupna 4.5 (29).
Best players: Andrew Smith, Charlie McCallum, Josh Todd, Darcy Finn and Luke Moorse.
Goals: Jack McGrillen, Blake Marshall, Andrew Smith, Josh Todd, Tynen Rothe.
Fourths:
Coming into round eight we came up against Congupna.
The young Rams were looking for consistency to play a four-quarter effort.
The first half saw Rams applying heaps of pressure. They were spreading from the contest using hands, linking up from half back and hitting crucial kicks in the middle of the ground.
This resulted in Rams consistently controlling possession, adding to the scoreboard whilst maintaining the pressure with tackles.
The game was played in great spirits and a strong team performance to get the Rams get over the line.
The young Rams were mixed around in all areas, seeing each player given a chance to shine and showcase their skills.
It was great to see our young debutants Will Crossley and Ollie Dellwo get amongst it against Congupna.
Final score: Deniliquin Rams 15.14 (104) def Congupna 0.0 (0).
Best players: Max Burge, Bentley Hardman, Jonathon Moorse, Rocky Sztejman, Ollie Dellwo, Ari Strongman.
Goals: Angus Henderson 2, Logan Elphick 2, Jonathon Moorse 2, Lachlan Tritton 2, Rocky Sztejman 2, Ari Strongman, William Crossley, Jaxon Rothe, Thomas Marshall, James Armytage.
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