Magpies soar, giving Numurkah the blues

By Oliver Shedden

Sep 1, 2024

Joshua Pell was named in Moama’s best for his efforts against Numurkah. Photo: Aidan Briggs Photo by Aidan Briggs

Despite a close contest, Moama flew highest in their elimination final, taking down Numurkah on Saturday to advance to the next round of the Murray League finals.

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Having met only a week ago in the final round of the season, the Magpies and Blues were familiar with each other’s abilities and, as such, were primed for an intense battle.

Both teams came out looking solid, bagging a trio of goals and a pair of behinds each to keep the scores locked at 20 apiece at the first siren.

Moama managed to distinguish themselves in a much more laborious second quarter, kicking a goal and six behinds while limiting Numurkah to just two points, nabbing a 10-point lead at half-time.

Both sides stepped up their attacking game following the break, but the Magpies continued to impress, scoring six goals and four assists to keep their neck in front.

Yet, Numurkah stayed in the hunt, kicking five goals of their own and four behinds to remain within striking distance, still trailing by 10 points with a quarter remaining.

Moama proved why they are a cut above in the final stretch, bagging four goals while shutting down almost all scoring opportunities for the Blues, who couldn’t find the middle of the sticks and finished the quarter with just two behinds.

The Magpies flew away with the victory, their fourth-quarter finesse granting them a 34-point win over Numurkah, whose season ended in defeat.

The final score was Moama 13.14 (92) to Numurkah 8.10 (58).

The goal-scoring tandem of Danny Brewster and Thomas Holman once again delivered for their side, kicking four and three goals, respectively.

Brewster and Holman weren’t the only exceptional players for the Pies, with Joshua Pell, James Whitehead, Mitchell Lake and Ned Osborne playing big roles in securing the win.

The Magpies won’t be able to celebrate their victory for long as they will look ahead to the semi-finals, where they will play either Mulwala or Deniliquin Rams next week, depending on results.