Tongala has narrowly avoided falling victim to a major Murray League A-grade netball upset, besting a gallant Finley 48-46 on Saturday.
A victory that cements their spot in the top four after seven rounds, the Blues had to fight for the entire four quarters after Finley came out of the blocks with a scintillating opening half.
Without star shooter Milly Brock in the front third, Tongala would rely on youngster Meg Brennan to take the attacking reins, coming up from the under-17s and starring to take best-on-court honours.
The Blues’ fifth victory of the 2022 season, coach Paige Wade said it was a huge relief to get over the line.
“We were very happy with the win after what was an incredibly exciting game,” Wade said.
“They came out in the first quarter and played really well to be five goals up, and it took a while for us to get the game back on our terms.
“After half time we just started playing better, it was a whole team effort, not much changed tactically, we just took our opportunities and grinded out the victory.”
Wade said it was fantastic to see the character of her young team rise to the fore after being challenged by a desperate underdog in Finley.
“I am very proud of how the girls went about it, the way that they stuck together as a team and didn’t go away from our game plan was very pleasing,” she said.
“After going down early in the first half we could have easily just let it slide, but the girls just slowly chipped away and in the end came away with what was a very important victory.”
A key part of the Blues’ second-half revival, Wade praised the efforts of young Brennan coming into the side and being the difference in the game in its dying stages.
“With Milly Brock being called up for VNL duties, Meg came up from the 17s and the girls really supported her through the game,” she said.
“She shot at 100 per cent in the last quarter when the game was on the line, and was voted our best-on-court.”
Elsewhere, Moama showed itself to be every bit a premiership contender, destroying a red-hot Mulwala 56-27 to make it five wins in a row at Lonsdale Oval.
Coming into this match unsure of what to expect from the Lions, the might of the Magpies dominated at both ends of the court, not giving the home side an inch from start to finish.
Improving its season record to 5-2, the win keeps Moama in touch with the top four as it continues to build into the season.
Rumbalara rounded out the weekend’s Murray netball action with a clinical 54-27 victory over Barooga at home.
A win that catapults Rumba up into second spot on the ladder, the class and experience of the home side was simply too much for the gallant Hawks.
With just the one blemish on its season record to date, Rumbalara finds itself ominously placed for a mid-season charge in what is a tightly contested competition.