Turnovers cost Tongala as Numurkah solidifies spot in the top four

Numurkah’s rebound footy was decisive as Tongala continued to stumble at half-forward, leaving Daniel frustrated.

“We turned the football over in critical spots on the ground and that really hurt us,” Daniel said.

“We were up and gone to the races but one bad kick would result in a turnover and it went straight back over our head. That would have happened on seven, eight occasions.

“Numurkah killed us on the turnover. We had plenty of the footy but they hurt us on the way back.”

Numurkah piled on seven goals in the first quarter, while Tongala booted four of its own.

Honours were shared in the second quarter but a 14-point advantage had Numurkah in the driver’s seat.

It kicked away to a 31-point lead at three-quarter time to leave a big job for Tongala, and it was Numurkah notching its sixth win of the year at the final siren, consolidating third spot on the ladder.

Jamason Daniels (five goals) and Josh Evans (four) spearheaded Numurkah’s efforts alongside Braydon Sutton, Josh O’Dwyer and Tom Buzza.

Makenzie Ryan led the way for Tongala with four goals, while an 18-year-old provided a bright spark for the Blues on an otherwise gloomy day.

“Tristan Watson’s been fantastic, I think it’s his first year of senior footy,” Daniel said.

“The kid’s only 18 and he’s tough, quick and probably one of our most consistent.

“Jayden Tucker gave us a nice target at centre half-forward.

“There’s still promising signs, we kicked the first four goals of the second quarter and we looked like we were going to get a roll on.”

Tongala will head into the bye in sixth place, but will be sweating on the fitness of star midfielder Coby McCarthy after sustaining a hamstring injury just after half-time.

No time frame has been set for his return.

The Blues will face Barooga in round nine.

– ‘Just keep winning’ seems to be the mantra for Tongala in A-grade netball.

The Blues extended their winning streak in 2023 to seven after fending off a determined Numurkah by nine goals to retain second spot on the ladder.

But as Tongala coach Grace Hammond admitted, the side was made to earn the 52-43 victory by the ninth-place Numurkah.

“Numurkah put it to us, they took us by surprise,” Hammond said.

“They had great defensive pressure and we had to work through that.

“Our girls, same as every other week, stuck to our plan.”

Goal shooter Meg Brennan was a force for Tongala, dominating the goal ring in a laser-accurate performance.

“Meg was absolutely amazing in goal shooter,” Hammond said.

“She shot at 100 per cent until the last quarter and only missed three or four.

“She connected well with Chelsey Wright at wing attack.”

With another win tucked away, the Blues will head into the round eight bye with confidence high.

A clash against winless Barooga awaits after the break, but the Blues will be casting their eye further than that, specifically to their round 10 match-up against Deniliquin.

The Rams also retained an unblemished record after defeating Nathalia by 18 goals, and Tongala will be aiming at that as an exciting challenge for its young squad.

“The vibes are really high in our group and we’ve clicked well,” Hammond said.

“It’s a good week to have a reset and rest our bodies and get ready for Deni in round 10.”

Meanwhile, Echuca United pushed into fourth spot with a 23-goal win over Barooga, while Moama’s hard-fought win over Congupna keeps it in touch with the top six.

Rumbalara and Finley were the other winners from the weekend of netball.