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Gallery | Nathalia defies Rumbalara upset in round 10 of MFL
Nathalia has moved to 7-3 after claiming victory over a defiant Rumbalara in round 10 of Murray Football League.
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The Purples were in sixth place on the ladder heading into the match, with onlookers expecting Nathalia to breeze past a Rumbalara side that had only won one game from its first nine matches.
However, in Rumbalara’s second home game for the year (in the first eight rounds, Rumba played away due to redevelopments at their home ground), the Shepparton-based side played with speed and intensity.
Rumba burst out of the blocks to give themselves a 15-point lead at quarter-time (32-17), but Nathalia regained momentum in the second quarter, booting 5.4 to take a four-point lead into half-time.
Purples coach Glen Boyd said he was impressed by his opponent’s performance in a tightly-fought match.
“It was a very challenging game,” he said.
“They were probably a bit better than we expected, Rumbalara, and they played a good brand of footy with some quick and skilful players.”
In the second half, Nathalia continued with the momentum, slowly building its lead up to just less than three goals at three-quarter time before holding off a fast-finishing Rumba to win by 17 points.
The final score was 12.7 (79) to 14.12 (96) in Nathalia’s favour.
Purples gun Liam Evans was a class above for his side.
He dominated in the midfield while also pushing forward to hit the scoreboard, finishing with five goals.
While Boyd was happy with how his players performed, he did admit that Evans was head and shoulders above the rest.
“Liam Evans was our best,” he said.
“He got a lot of clearances through the middle and I think he kicked five goals as well; he was clearly our best.
“Kai Lundberg, (Malcolm) Barnes was really good for us in the middle for us as well.
“We had a few contributors, but I would say that Liam Evans was easily best on.”
Just past the halfway mark of the home and away season, the Purples are well positioned (fifth place) to make a charge for finals.
With eight rounds remaining, Boyd believes that working on his midfielder’s defensive attributes will help the Purples become a scary prospect come September.
“Midfield is where we need to improve if we want to push the best sides,” he said.
“We seem to have a few lapses through the middle, and it happened yesterday, where other sides’ midfielders get on top and get a bit of a roll on us.
“Probably the defensive side of the midfield is where we want to improve.”
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Nathalia’s Bailey Bell tackles Rumbalara’s Enrico Bauer. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 12
Nathalia’s Liam Evans on the fly. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 12
Rumbalara’s Desmond Tipuamantamurri and Nathalia’s Brodie Ross fight for the footy. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 12
Rumbalara’s Jake Zerbato scans the field. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 12
Rumbalara’s Teshawn Harrison celebrates kicking a goal. Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 12
Rumbalara’s Desmond Tipuamantamurri finds a target. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 12
Rumbalara’s Brogan McGee was busy. Photo by Megan FisherImage 8 of 12
Nathalia’s Ryan Butler looks for a teammate. Photo by Megan FisherImage 9 of 12
Rumbalara’s Nathan Terlich looks inside 50. Photo by Megan FisherImage 10 of 12
Rumbalara’s Jake Zerbato beckons the ball to himself. Photo by Megan FisherImage 11 of 12
Rumbalara’s Levy Tejones boots the ball forward. Photo by Megan FisherImage 12 of 12
Rumbalara’s Enrico Bauer hunts the football. Photo by Megan FisherIn other Murray Football League round 10 games, Numurkah has claimed a significant victory in its hunt for a finals berth.
The Blues defeated fellow top-six contender Deniliquin by five points at home.
The Rams will rue their missed opportunities (kicked 6.11), while Numurkah’s Jamason Daniels kicked an equal game-high three goals for the match.
The Blues and the Rams both have five wins and five losses and are eighth and seventh on the ladder, respectively.
Congupna has continued with its winning ways by defeating Tongala away from home by 72 points.
The Road was dominant from start to finish, with gun forward Kyle Mueller booting seven goals to take his season tally up to 51.
Moama claimed a tight five-point victory over Cobram at home.
The score was level at three-quarter time before Danny Brewster, Trent Gray and Liam Barrett’s goals helped the Magpies scrape across the line.
Both sides remain in the top six of the ladder, with Moama in fourth (7-3) and Cobram in sixth (6-4).
Mulwala made light work of Barooga, with the reigning premier defeating the Hawks by 49 points.
Meanwhile, Finley was dominant in its victory over Echuca United, winning the game by 124 points.