Not one, but two draws underscored a bumper 11th round of action, while Cobram’s one-point win over reigning premier Mulwala wrapped it with a ribbon on top.
In the battle of the big cats, Jackson Trengove’s bag of six majors catapulted the Tigers to victory against the Lions by order of an 8.7 (55) to 8.6 (54) result at Scott Oval.
More than anything, Cobram co-coach Tyron Baden was relieved when recounting what proved to be a “complete grind in the end”.
“There wasn’t much skill involved; it was just very dirty sort of football,” he said.
“It was a very hotly contested type of game, and they had a few shots in the last two minutes.
“One went out on the full and we punched one back into the corridor then the siren went.”
Cobram was helter-skelter, all hands on deck in the final term as Mulwala threw the kitchen sink at the hosts to try and cut down their nine-point lead.
A monstrous Alex Ritchie pack mark calmed things for a time, but as the Lions looked more and more like producing a winner, the blood pressure in the Tigers’ dugout skyrocketed.
“From the bench, it was bloody stressful,” Baden said of the final minutes.
“I sent a spare back, and I was trying to get everyone back to get it going our way.
“It never ended up going our way; we’d tap it straight down their throat and they’d kick it forward.
“The backs held up beautifully in the end. They were our shining light.”
Both sides were never more than a few goals from each other throughout the game.
Mulwala held a 10-point lead at quarter time, but roles were reversed at the half as Cobram led 28-25.
Though the Tigers were up 48-39 with one term left, it truly was anyone’s game.
What impressed Baden the most, however, was Cobram’s mettle in the dying embers as his side clawed onto a thin lead, especially considering an agonising five-point defeat at the hands of Moama the week prior.
“There were plenty of positives; it was the first time we’ve actually won a close one this year,” he said.
“All our losses have been in tight games, so to finally get one to go our way, the boys were up and about which was really good to see.”
Trengove was excellent for the Tigers while Samuel Conheady, Ritchie and Sam Beasley, playing his 100th senior game for the club, stood tall.
“Sam, he bleeds yellow and black and he has done for his whole life and so does his family,” Baden said.
“He’s our captain for a reason; everyone looks up to him. He’s a really good, genuine bloke and everyone loves him.”
For Mulwala, Jack Sutherland kicked three majors against a fortified Cobram backline which now is tasked with backing it up against two heavy finals favourites.
The Tigers face Nathalia in round 12 and Congupna the week after, with Baden battening the hatches for a pair of season-defining fixtures.
“We’re a young side and we’ve got a lot of injuries at the minute, so to get that confidence against Mulwala, I think it’s going to be pivotal for us going forward,” he said.
“Nathalia is going to be massive. If we can somehow scrounge up a win there, it would be very helpful for our finals chances.
“We just need to slowly get boys back on the park, unfortunately we’ve got a lot of blokes out.”
Nathalia could not be separated from Finley in a gripping 82-all draw on the Purples’ home soil.
The hosts led at the first three changes, but a last gasp behind in the moments before the siren secured the Purples a tie following a punch-for-punch last quarter.
Some 30 kilometres east, a similar scenario played out at Numurkah Showgrounds.
The Blues rallied in the final quarter to pinch two points off a highly-touted Moama outfit following a 68-all draw.
Elsewhere, Rumbalara forfeited a promising early lead to hand Barooga its second win of the season, falling 13.11 (89) to 10.8 (68), while Deniliquin Rams dealt with Tongala by 10 goals.
Lastly, Congupna was far too good for Echuca United, holding post at the ladder’s top thanks to an 18.15 (123) to 10.4 (64) victory on the road.
