Tonny rockets into top four leaving Moama teetering

Any of four teams — Tongala, Deniliquin, Moama and Numurkah — could finish in any order in places four through seven, and Echuca United remains an outside chance to make a run at the top six.

The latest twist came in the first half of the split round on Saturday, when Tongala visited Moama in a huge match up for both sides’ hopes.

There was almost nothing between the teams over four quarters.

Moama went into the first break up two, but Tongala turned that margin around in the second to lead by a single score at the half.

The Blues inched two ahead at the final change and managed to replicate that lead at the final whistle, scoring their most important win of the season, 46-44.

“Any time we come up against Moama, regardless of ladder position, we know what to expect and that it’s always going to be coming down to the last couple of minutes,” Tongala co-coach Grace Hammond said.

“It was a great game by both sides, credit to Moama, they made us work hard all game and we had to work for that win, but we stuck at it and stuck to our basics as I always say, and it paid off in the end.”

Hammond said her side had been focusing on converting attacking opportunities.

“We’ve got a big focus on scoring off of our centre passes,” she said.

“Yesterday it probably could have been better, but naturally we’re quite a defensive side, so we win the ball a lot, (and) we work hard for each other to do that.

“We just need to stay locked in the attacking end and really focus on converting off our own centre passes, and then the reward comes with our defensive effort and finalising those goals as well.”

After only returning to the top six the previous weekend after an extended stretch away, Tongala now finds itself in fourth place after winning its fifth straight, surging past the Magpies and Rams, edging the latter on percentage.

The Blues and Rams are on 36 points and Moama has 34.

Numurkah (30) and Echuca United (26) have yet to feature in the split round and have a game in hand to aid in their chase.

“We’re playing every game as if it’s a grand final because it’s such an even comp this year, so wherever we finish on the ladder going into finals, we know that we have to put our best on the court if we want to be there and no game is guaranteed a win,” Hammond said.

“I’m not thinking about the next week and who’s to follow if we win this game and where we will finish or anything like that.

“It’s just playing every 15 minutes as they come and not even with too big a focus on the scoreboard.

“Let’s just play netball, enjoy our netball and, when we have that mindset, then the wins are starting to come our way, and we’re just focusing on that one week at a time.”

Above the Blues sit Rumbalara, Nathalia and Mulwala, three sides with a significant edge over the rest of the ladder.

Hammond didn’t downplay the task of toppling one of those sides should it come to that, but expressed faith in her side to push the leaders.

“I think a game of netball is whoever shows up on the day,” she said.

“You can be the best all season and come finals it’s a totally different brand of netball, so if we show up on the day, then I think (the top three) are definitely beatable.

“Anyone in that top six, especially those top three, they’re the benchmark and it’s not going to be an easy job, but I do think it’s achievable.

“Hopefully we can get the opportunity to come up against them in finals and really push them, but the one thing I ask from my girls is if they can go out on the court and, regardless of the result, if they’ve left nothing out there and I know they couldn’t give me any more than what they did,then as a coach, I’m happy.”

In contrast to Hammond’s side, Moama, which looked a lock for the top four not long ago, has lost five of its past seven.

In the Magpies’ defence, those losses have come against other current members of the top six, but those are exactly the sides the black and white will need to beat should they hang on and play finals netball.

Moama’s next game, after time off in week two of the split round, will be against lower table Barooga, before it concludes its season in what could be a finals’ qualifier against Numurkah.

Tongala has Congupna in two weeks, before finishing the year in a challenging encounter against Mulwala.