With 21 minutes gone and the Blues trailing by a point in the dying stages of the blockbuster clash against Cobram, Sam Cipriani and Darren Ewing stood up to hand the Blues a statement win.
Cipriani converted from 45m to take back the lead before Ewing’s effort from the boundary line sealed a famous win for Tongala, knocking off the ladder leaders 14.3 (87) to 12.3 (75).
Cipriani ended with four goals for the match, while Ewing took his tally from six games up to 44 with a five-goal haul.
Brock McLean, Nick Jamieson and Jack Hammond were the standouts around the ground, while for a Tigers’ outfit now smarting from three defeats in their last five games, Jack Wilson, Samuel Beasley and Izac Artivilla toiled hard.
Unlike their previous encounter, the Blues got the jump on the Tigers in the battle at Tongala Reserve.
Cobram slammed eight goals past the Blues in round eight’s opening stanza, but this time it was Tongala with five goals to start the game.
The Tigers struck back to draw within a goal at half-time, with the scoreline reading an accurate 8.1 to 7.1 the way of Tongala.
The Blues extended their advantage in a frenetic third-quarter, leading by 11 points heading into the final term.
Determined to hold their game ascendancy atop the MFL ladder, Cobram snatched back the lead before a late flurry saw Tongala claim its 14th win for the season.
The result sees Tongala atone for its 48-point defeat to Cobram earlier this season, but more importantly it has thrown the race for the Murray Football League top two wide open with one round to play.
While the Tigers hold their spot at the top of the ladder courtesy of their healthy percentage of 286.46, Tongala and Mulwala have drawn level on point with all three holding win-loss records of 14-3.
Cobram will face sixth-placed Deniliquin in efforts to avoid a late-season capitulation after going through the first 12 rounds undefeated.
Tongala will travel to Finley in the final round, while Mulwala’s hopes will hinge on the result of its clash against Congupna.
And while the coveted double chance will go down to the wire, the top six of the Murray Football League has finally been set.
Moama’s victory over Nathalia put an end to the Purples golden run of five flags, with the reigning premiers now out of the running for finals.
This means that Moama, Congupna, and Deniliquin are all confirmed to take part in elimination finals.
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