The Deniliquin Rams were overpowered by top-of-the-table side Congupna on Saturday and consequently fell out of the top six on the Murray Football League ladder.
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The home side showed more dash and better foot skills and probably should have won by a bit more, kicking a wayward 10.18 to the Rams’ 9.5 in ideal conditions at Congupna.
Very little separated the two sides for the afternoon, with the Rams only trailing by eight points at the final change, and there was a feeling they might come home with the swirling breeze.
But the Road slotted four telling final-term goals to keep the match out of reach of the plucky Rams, who never threw in the towel.
The Rams are now 4-3 (win/loss) and have a week’s rest this weekend.
Deni got off to a great start on Saturday.
The Rams’ two gun recruits, Sam Lloyd and Hamish Shepheard, kicked the opening two goals, capping off some good work by Rick Gittens out of the middle.
The Road peppered the goals in retaliation but could only manage 1.6 for the term, with Deni applying good pressure down back.
The home side moved well in the second term, looking more dangerous through the midfield and finding loose players.
They kicked three goals for the term and took a four-point lead to the main break.
Rams co-coaches Gary Parsons and Ash Morris called for calm at the half-time break, imploring their players to show more poise when kicking forward.
They had continually fallen down at half forward, allowing the Road to rebound comfortably.
Both sides came out firing, hitting the ball and body hard.
It was level pegging for the term, with two goals apiece.
But the Road looked the more dangerous team and came home stronger in the final term.
Lloyd and Shepheard kicked three goals each for the Rams, the latter offering a strong target at full forward for the day, while young gun Charlie Hillier kicked two goals and was dangerous around the ball.
Deni’s defence could hold its head high, with Ryan MacDonald, Cable Fitzpatrick, Mick Barnett and Brayden Hall repelling many attacks.
Small forward Zac Free was tackle-hungry and had another strong match, Gittens was the Rams’ best midfielder, and Harry Hillier tried hard all day in a negating role.
Final score: Deni Rams 10.18 (78) Congupna 9.5 (59).
Awards: Brayden Hall, Cable Fitzpatrick, Ricky Gittens, Harry Hillier, Ryan MacDonald, Zac Free.
Goals: Sam Lloyd 3, Hamish Shepheard 3, Charlie Hillier 2, Matt MacDonald 1.
Reserves:
It was another good start to the game from the Rams’ reserves.
Both teams knew it would be a tough game because of how they used the footy and hunted the ball well.
Rams kicked two goals two in the first quarter to go into the first change with a seven-point lead.
Congupna came out in the second quarter and was willing to take the game on.
Rams had a feeling it was just going to happen.
Congupna had a three-goal lead going into half-time.
The Rams kept it positive, and the fight they showed after half-time was the Rams footy the team is capable of.
The team hunted Congupna and worked for one another.
It was the Rams’ game to win or lose.
In the last quarter, it was contest after contest. They had a five-point lead with nine minutes left, but the boys didn’t give up.
The Rams kicked two goals to take the lead without much time to go.
However, credit to Congupna, they didn’t give up and got the shot after the siren to pinch it away from us by one point.
Final score: Deni Rams 6.4 (40) def by Congupna 6.5 (41).
Best players: Miller Fitzpatrick, Noah Bradley, Lourens Geldenhuys, Jonty Tubb, Dean Macdonald, Lachlan Osborne.
Goals: Brett Macdonald 2, Jonty Tubb 2, Luke Todd 1, Aiden Free 1.
Thirds:
The thirds started well and dominated play but were inaccurate going forward, kicking 2.5 for the quarter.
The home side turned the game into a messy scrap in the windy conditions and managed to keep the Rams to only 1.3 in the second quarter.
A few changes and an improved effort in running the ball saw the Rams kick 4.4 in the third and another 4.4 in the final term.
In tricky conditions, the thirds improved as the game went on and ended with an 82-point win.
Final score: Deni Rams 11.16 (82) Congupna 0.0 (0).
Best players: Nash Suckling, Charlie McCallum, Henry Robinson, Josh Todd.
Fourths:
After a tough round last weekend, the Rams’ under-14s were eager for a win.
Congupna was sitting in a similar position on the ladder, so the young Rams side knew they had every chance of stealing a victory.
Congupna surprised the team early in the first quarter with a quick goal.
The Rams were slow to find their momentum.
However, by the second quarter, the game began to switch in their favour, capitalising on some fantastic midfield efforts and scoring two straight goals for the term.
This continued in the third quarter, with the backline working tirelessly.
Their efforts stopped Congupna from impacting the scoreboard.
At the opposite end, our forward line looked strong and offered great leads for their team.
In the last quarter, our under-14s never once looked like tiring, applying pressure right until the final siren.
A fantastic win by Deni.
Final score: Deni Rams 5.2 (32) def Congupna 1.5 (11).
Best players: Tynen Rothe, Darcy Finn, Ari Strongman, Talen Barnes, Savannah Emery, Max Burge.
Goal kickers: Max Burge 2, Darcy Finn 1, Tynen Rothe 1, Oliver Ives 1.
Under-12s:
The under-12s travelled to Victoria Park Sunday morning for a highly anticipated match against the undefeated Echuca Bombers Green.
With some big top-age names unavailable, the boys knew it would be a very tough ask.
Echuca Green scored first, but then Angus Henderson quickly reciprocated and added two goals leading into quarter time.
Another high-pressure quarter followed as the Bombers only scored two points, and the Rams led 12 to eight into the half-time break.
In a nerve-wracking second half, the Bombers were restricted to just three goals by a solid defence line.
This, combined with some good use of space and impressive midfield work by Rocky Sztejman and Sam Hay, got the ball down to the Rams’ forward line, where Angus Henderson managed to kick another two goals.
Coach Rob Wettenhall counted the seconds until the final siren went and congratulated the boys on their best team game of the season.
Final score: Rams 4.4 (28) def Echuca Bombers Green 4.3 (27).
Awards: Ollie Bull, Sam Hay, Charlie Murray, Kade Gold.
Under-10s:
The Lambs travelled to Tongala on Friday night to take on the Blues in icy conditions under lights.
Deni showed more improvement this week, handballing well and sharing the ball with teammates in a better position.
There were plenty of goals scored by the visitors.
The Rams’ award winners were Jetta Macdonal up forward, Lenny Maher in the midfield, Angus Browne who showed some good skills and Jackson Catt who is s getting better each week.
The boys sang the song loudly and proudly after the match, and coach Jack Eastman was full of praise for his lads.
Well done again to the boys who pulled on a Blues jumper to help with numbers and to the parents who braved the cold on a Friday evening and warmed up with some of the Colonel’s finest in Echuca on the way home!
This week, it’s our turn to host the other Tongala team on a Friday night.
Final score: Not scored.