Tongala hammers Nathalia

In a clash that could have been last year’s grand final, the Blues were far too strong for the Purples at Tongala Recreation Reserve.

Tongala jumped out to a five-goal lead at quarter-time and never looked back, outscoring Nathalia in every quarter on its way to a comprehensive 24.17 (161) to 8.3 (51) win.

Blues coach Jordan Souter said he was pleased with his side’s effort in the big win.

“It was a pretty game on our behalf,” Souter said.

“We were in control from the first bounce, it was a pretty enjoyable day out.

“We stuck to the team-first attitude that we spoke about before the game. Nobody went their own way or tried to hog goals, it was all shared around and that was the most pleasing thing, I’d say.

“It was a pretty good team performance, everyone chipped in along the way and we got the points pretty easily in the end.”

For Nathalia, the loss adds to a difficult start to the new season. The five-time reigning premiers have found the going tough in 2022 with three straight losses, including two by more than 100 points.

Souter said it was great to see plenty of support for his side.

“It was a good Tonny crowd there, we were really pleased with the amount of Tongala people there,” he said.

“It was a really good crowd.”

After only narrowly beating Barooga in round two, Tongala looked back to its best on Friday, with 10 players kicking goals.

Mackenzie Cowley led the way for the Blues with six majors, while Michael Pryde booted four and Sam Cipriani and Alex Williams kicked three each. Nathalia’s Jackson Farrell was its lone multiple goal kicker with two.

After just sneaking past the Hawks last week, Souter said his side made sure it had a different attitude against Nathalia.

“We put a bit of focus on making sure we switched on and made sure we had our heads in the game from the first bounce,” he said.

“We tried to get on top early because they [Nathalia] are a pretty young side and Barooga are too, we left the door open for Barooga and they nearly pinched it on us.

“It was a lot better team effort this week, conditions were a lot better as well, which helped.”

Nicholas Jamieson, Cipriani and Cowley were three of Tonny’s best on the day, Souter said.

But while the Blues picked up the four points, they also picked up injuries to two key players.

Onballer Coby McCarthy didn’t play for Tongala after failing to make it through the warm-up, while McLean came off in the third quarter with an injured hamstring.

“Brock McLean stood out for the first two and a half quarters, but then he got injured,” Souter said.

“He tightened up in his hamstring, we’re not quite sure of the damage or how it is yet.”

Souter said the injuries were starting to stack up for Tonny.

“We’re starting to get a few injuries on our list now, so we just have to be careful about how we go about it and make sure we rehab as best as we can,” he said.

The Blues have started off the year well with three-straight wins. But despite having two 100-point victories under their belt this season and having won 16-consecutive games, Souter said his side still had a lot more to give.

“The performances have been a pass mark but we’re not setting the world on fire, that’s for sure,” he said.

“We know we’ve got a lot of improvement in us yet, and once we get our full list back together and hopefully we plan to peak in mid-late season in time for the finals, that’s the plan.

“We definitely haven’t set the world on fire yet.”

Tongala will be hoping to continue its perfect start to the new season next weekend when it takes on Congupna on Saturday afternoon.