Rumbalara’s woes went from bad to worse as they suffered a smarting 164-point defeat at home to Cobram to leave them languishing rock bottom of the Murray League.

Coming into the clash, the Shepparton outfit was looking to arrest the slide to the foot of the ladder following defeats at the hands of Mulwala and Deniliquin in its previous two outings.

However, it appears that reprieve from what has quickly turned into a nightmarish start to the campaign will have to wait yet another week following what turned into a mauling at Rumbalara Recreation Reserve in round three.

Last week’s 83-point defeat versus the Rams paled in comparison to the 37.17 (239) to 11.9 (75) collapse that ensued against the Tigers following the opening quarter.

In truth, not many could have predicted how Rumbalara fared following the first quarter, with proceedings having otherwise been in the balance in that opening stage of the game - with only ten points in it at that juncture.

Cobram’s dominance was built on a powerful forward line, led by Ben Ryan, who delivered a standout performance with 11 goals.

He was well supported by Jackson Trengove, who added six, and Bodey Webb with four, as the Tigers piled on goals at will.

By halftime, the margin had blown out to 55 points, with Rumbalara struggling to slow the ball movement and forward efficiency of their opponents.

The third quarter proved decisive, with Cobram kicking another nine goals to extend their lead beyond 90 points at the final change.

Rumbalara continued to battle, with captain Kydan Atkinson leading from the front with five goals, while contributions from Darrnell Edwards and Joe Lindrea added some scoreboard relief.

However, Cobram’s relentless pressure and scoring power proved too much, as they finished strongly with a 14-goal final term to cap off a comprehensive victory.

With multiple contributors across the ground, including strong performances from Tyrone Baden, Luca Allen and Bowen Calogero, Cobram’s depth and forward efficiency were on full display.

Reflecting on a masterclass on the road, Cobram’s Mark Meyland gave his verdict on what he’d witnessed from his unrelenting side.

“In the first quarter, it was very much an open style of footy, dictacted by turnovers and things going from end to end,” Meyland said.

“After quarter-time we tried to address that we needed to take the heat out of it and play some controlled footy for periods of time - which we managed to do somewhat.

“We didn’t manage to do it fully but the game definitely opened up as everyone ran forward and we started to see a lot of space, making it such a high-scoring game.”

“The message essentially was to continue to keep doing the structured things as a team and keep the forward line open,” Meyland added, as he revealed his words of wisdom was to the boys halfway through the affair.

Looking ahead to next week’s clash against Mulwala, Meyland confirmed that he will still be focusing on areas where his side can improve.

“Rumba came out to play and they did that in the first quarter.

“They still kicked 11 goals on the day but moving to next week, we hope to take a lot of confidence from this game and continue to build on what we’ve got internally to put on a good show!”

Elsewhere in the Murray League, Tongala defeated Moama 15.10 (100) to 7.8 (50), while Mulwala kept in touch with the competition leaders with an 11.6 (72) to 8.7 (55) win over Finley.

Numurkah also recorded a 14.8 (92) to 7.8 (50) victory against Nathalia, while Deniliquin Rams accounted for Echuca United 11.6 (72) to 8.10 (58).

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Sunday, 14th April 2030

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