Murray, Wimmera and Gippsland country footy leagues wrap

Flag favourite Cobram is preparing for its biggest test of the Murray league while a Warragul star recruit has made history.

Flag favourite Cobram is preparing for its biggest test of the Murray league season against Tongala after a bye this weekend following a 155-point demolition job on Numurkah on Saturday.

Numurkah was expected to put up a bolder showing after bringing Deniliquin’s unbeaten start to the season to an end the previous week, but it was no match for a ruthless Cobram.

The Tigers piled on 10 goals in the final term after Numurkah was kept scoreless for the first three quarters.

Cobram also had three key players, Mark and Tim Baker and Brodie Rudd, on the sidelines and expected to return against Tongala.

“The top sides haven’t played each other and that will happen in the next few weeks,” Cobram coach John Brunskill said.

“There is always room for improvement.

“We’ve still got a lot of hard work in front of us and Tongala is a good side with what they’ve got.”

Tongala topped up its ranks this season with the signing of former AFL players Brock McLean and Ryan Nyhuis.

Former Fremantle Dockers player Ryan Nyhuis is playing for Tongala in the Murray league. Picture: Richard Wainwright

Cobram’s three pronged forward line of Ben Ryan (seven goals), Darcy Pridham-McCormack (six) and Adam De Cicco (five) combined to kick 18 of the team’s 26 goals against Numurkah.

Captain Sam Beasley and younger brother Harry continue to play well for Cobram, which hasn’t won a flag since 1998.

WIMMERA

Dimboola is one win away from wiping out the hefty 12 premiership point penalty as part of the sanctions it was hit with for salary cap breaches in the Wimmera league last year.

The Roos needed to win three games this season before its points could be counted in the premiership race and they recorded a thrilling come from behind three-point win against Stawell on Saturday after earlier beating Horsham Demons.

Dimboola plays winless Nhill on Saturday followed by sixth placed Horsham Saints the following round and is an outside chance of still playing finals.

Jack Landt is co-coach of Dimboola after previously playing for Sunbury. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Dimboola was also fined $20,000 and had its player points for this season cut to 38.

The club admitted making an error in not understanding what impact the missed rounds due to Covid-19 last year had on its salary cap.

Co-coach Jack Landt, who joined Dimboola from Ballarat league club Sunbury, was best-on-ground with the club’s other co-coach Justin Beugelaar also in the best.

GIPPSLAND

Warragul star recruit Jed Lamb created a slice of Gippsland league history in his team’s loss to flag favourite Leongatha on Saturday.

The former Carlton and Greater Western Sydney utility kicked all of the Gulls’ six goals in the 68-point defeat, which is the first time a GFL player has booted so many as a team’s sole goalkicker in a match.

Jed Lamb kicked all of Warragul’s six goals on Saturday. Picture: Quinn Rooney

Bairnsdale’s Thomas Hudson kicked all four of the Redlegs goals in a recent game also against Leongatha when his club was decimated by Covid unavailabilities.

There have been multiple occasions in the league’s 68 history when a player has booted five of the team’s six goals, but never six by one player, according to GFL historian Paul Carter.

Leongatha remains the only undefeated team this season after Moe fell to Sale by eight points.

At the other end of the ladder Bairnsdale moved off the bottom when it beat Drouin by 55 points with first year coach Logan Austin booting six goals.