Set to face off at Deniliquin’s Hardinge Street Oval in a do-or-die preliminary final, the journey to this point has been an intriguing one for the Lions and Magpies.
The Cinderella story of the Murray league finals to this point, Moama has embraced the underdog tag during the past fortnight, besting a rampant Congupna at its Memorial Park fortress in an elimination final.
Before doing what nobody thought was possible and toppling a star-studded Tongala unit with a final-quarter fightback for the ages.
Similarly to the famed Western Bulldogs side of 2016, the Magpies are riding an incredible wave of momentum, making them a dangerous proposition in this final fortnight of the season.
Mulwala, on the other hand, kicked of its finals campaign on a losing note last weekend, falling to minor premier Cobram by 12 points in a hard-fought second semi-final.
With no more second chances and a date with an in-form Moama on the horizon, Lions coach Rohan Davies said his group was excited about the challenge.
“We all watched that Moama versus Tongala game on Sunday and, while I wanted Moama to win, they looked pretty sharp and we were pretty impressed with how they went about it,” Davies said.
“They defended like their lives depended on it and really shut Tonny down, so that is something we will certainly have to prepare for, they are a very hungry side.
“It will be a massive game, we’ve beaten them once and they have beaten us once this year and with them travelling well at the moment it is pretty hard to pick a favourite.
“But we are excited, the vibe around the group is good and we are just happy to be playing at this point in the season.”
While last weekend’s beginning to their finals campaign didn’t yield the result they were hoping for, Davies said the Lions took a lot of positives out of the game that will put them in good stead come Saturday afternoon.
“We reviewed the game a fair bit and we certainly had our chances to win it,” he said.
“We probably gave them a few too many chances with undisciplined acts and things which you can’t give a good side like Cobram.
“But knowing that our best footy was good enough to match it with them for long periods, it gives our boys a lot of confidence leading into the Moama game.”
Splitting the season series with the Magpies one-apiece, the difference between the two clashes was stark, with Mulwala triumphing by 70 points on its home deck in round seven and falling by 13 away from home in round 13.
As a result, Davies said his team would be well prepared for what Moama will throw at it this weekend.
“It is a do-or-die game, so for us, we just don’t want to leave anything in the tank, we don’t want to be sitting in the rooms after the game thinking we could have done something more,” he said.
“We’ve watched Moama play, we know what to expect, so we don’t want to be beaten by what we know.
“If they are going to beat us, they will have to do something outside of the box which we haven’t catered for, and I’m confident with the way that we have been playing we can get the job done.”
Mulwala will be bolstered by the return of Sean Robinson, as Davies and his brainstrust looks to cater for the extra height of the Moama line-up.
Murray Football League preliminary final day
Venue: Hardinge Street Oval, Deniliquin
Football: Mulwala v Moama, 2pm
A-grade netball: Rumbalara v Nathalia, 1.30pm
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