Congupna had a point to prove on Saturday.

While no home and away victory can truly avenge grand final defeat, the Road would still have had this game circled on the calendar for its 2026 campaign - travelling to enemy territory to take on the reigning premier Cobram.

The Tigers premiership defence has been shaky thus far, while there is a real hunger about the Road this season, illustrated by its significant percentage accumulated already.

Such was evident from the first bounce at Scott Oval.

In a dominant purple patch to begin the contest, Congupna streamed out to a 41-point lead at quarter-time, holding the Tigers scoreless on their home deck.

The goal kicking frenzy was unable to be contained in live play, with Cobram only challenging the Road back following its quarter time huddle.

Three goals to one in the second term rallied Cobram into the contest, but Congupna reversed that scoring output in the third quarter to return the lead beyond seven goals.

The pair of clubs split the points in the final term, scoring 14 each, Congupna cruising home with another four premiership points to the tune of 6.5 (41) to 12.12 (84).

Congupna coach Ben Bingham said the grand final rematch was one “pencilled in” to look ahead for the Road seniors this season.

“It’s always a big one (the grand final rematch), we pencilled in the game,” Bingham said.

“We’ve had two tights contests before this that held us in really good stead I think.

“We kicked with the breeze to start off with, but you still have to use it to your advantage, and our whole back structure in that first quarter were buying into the things we’ve been focusing on, so it was great to see.”

Bryden Squire and Thomas McCluskey (four goals) were among the Road’s best, while Ben Ryan snagged four of Cobram’s six majors for the match in a defiant effort.

Around the grounds, Rumbalara was crunched by Deniliquin by 83 points at the Rams’ turf, dished its second loss of the season, while Nathalia ground out a low-scoring nine-point win over Finley.

Echuca United won a thriller over Tongala thanks to sharpshooting accuracy, securing the four points with a 10.4 (64) to 8.13 (61) scoreline, while Mulwala dispatched Numurkah by 55.

Congupna will take the bye in round four, with Bingham indicating the Road will enjoy a restful week ahead of a stretch of eight-straight games - and to enjoy a three and zip start.

“It’s come early (the bye), but probably at the right time,” Bingham said.

“I put the bye week on the leadership group, but we’ll definitely use it to freshen up and enjoy the week off before we have eight game straight after that.

“It’s one of those things we looked at where we were like ‘if we can start three and zero, we’ve earned the break’, so we’ll enjoy it.”

Rumbalara faces Cobram on Sunday this weekend, and Numurkah takes on Nathalia the day after Anzac Day also.

The remaining two Murray fixtures on Saturday will be played in evening timeslots beginning at 6:00pm, with Finley hosting Mulwala and Moama hosting Tongala.

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Saturday, 22nd January 2028

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