The previous week the Blues were lagging by 33 points at half-time against Echuca United but staged a gallant second half comeback to wrench the game from United’s early firm grip.
But last Saturday, Tongala found itself 58 points down at the long break, kicking only two behinds in the first half to Cobram’s 9.6 in the clash in challenging wet conditions at Tongala.
The visitors stormed over the Blues in the first term with a 7.5 burst, while holding the home side scoreless.
Tongala skipper Kyle Fitzgerald said Cobram handled the wet and heavy conditions much better than his team.
“It rained all game, and it was muddy, and they had more inside players than us, which suited them,” he said.
“They played an impressive brand of wet weather football.”
In an honest assessment, Fitzgerald said his former VFL opponent in the game Jackson Trengrove was the outstanding player on the ground.
‘‘He was too tall and too big for us,’’ he said.
Fitzgerald thought midfielder Jordan Souter played as good as game for Tongala as he had seen.
“The conditions suited him, and he revelled in them,” he said.
Top-end recruit Cam Illett was his usually busy self in the midfield and showed off his silky skills in the trying conditions, while defenders Bailey Cox and Callum Tucker had tagging roles in defence against quality players, which they carried out determinedly.
“Mr Consistent” Jack Hammond gave his usually honest and lively game on a wing and ruck man forward Nate Dear battled hard against the odds.
However, a lot of Tongala players just couldn’t get into the game against bigger and more physical opponents.
Fitzgerald said Cobram was a side which could challenge the red-hot flag favourite Congupna, but may lack the depth of the unbeaten reigning premier.
Tongala has had another tough challenge on its hands this Saturday, meeting the second rung holders Moama at Moama.
In the reserves, it was a similar case of misery, as the visiting Tigers downed the Blues in emphatic fashion 13.8 (86) to 3.4 (22).
After leading at the first break and trailing by a point at half-time, the reserves failed to score at all in the second half, letting Cobram run over the top of them.
The loss brings the Blues level with Numurkah on points and in sixth place, with a significant gap to seventh, assuring they play finals in 2025.
In a much tighter affair, Tongala’s under-17s almost pulled off an almighty comeback against the league-leading Tigers, falling seven points shy.
After trailing by a point at the first and second breaks, Cobram created a gap in the third period, but the Blues rallied with 3.3 down the stretch.
However, it wasn’t enough, with the final score being 6.3 (39) to 7.4 (46).
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