Drought is over: Lions king of the jungle again after 32-year wait

Goals: Mulwala: Sean Robinson 3, Owen Conway 2, Jamie Smith, Beau Clarke. Cobram: Luca Allen 2, Matteo Allen, Matt DeMaio, Izac Artavilla, Tyron Baden

Best: Mulwala: Matt Gorman, Sean Robinson, Jackson Gash, James Wilson, Bodhi Butts, Owen Conway. Cobram: Tyron Baden, Luca Allen, Daniel Clarke, Tim Garlick, Sam Beasley.

Saturday afternoon’s Murray Football League grand final was 32 years in the making for the Mulwala Lions.

After a gruelling wait that spanned over three decades, the Lions can now call themselves king of the MFL once again — downing Cobram by three points in an epic decider at Moama Recreation Reserve.

A gripping contest from start to finish, Mulwala would hit the front for the first time at the 15-minute of the last quarter courtesy of a controversial Jamie Smith free kick, before hanging on for dear life in the final 10 minutes to secure the 7.5 (47) to 6.8 (44) triumph.

This was after Cobram surged to an early advantage, booting the first three goals of the game to put itself in prime position to break the 22-year premiership drought it had hanging over its head.

But as the conditions deteriorated, the bigger and more experienced bodies of the Lions began to prevail, as they slowly pegged their way back into the contest before surging to victory in the final term.

And whether it was the incredible set-shot goal from the boundary by Sean Robinson in the third term to begin the fightback, inspirational work of best-on-ground Matthew Gorman and Jackson Gash through the midfield or match-winning efforts of James Wilson down back.

There are a litany of storylines to choose from as the riverside town of Mulwala soaks up the joy of premiership glory.

A perfect end to his first full season as a senior coach, Lions mentor Rohan Davies struggled to put into words how much the triumph meant.

“I am in shock, to win by three points and hang onto that lead in the dying minutes like we did, you could not have scripted a more intense finish,” Davies said.

“To finally be back on top after 32 years, I am 32 years old myself so it shows how long ago it was, I could not be more proud of this group and the fight they have showed all year.

“To be able to give the Mulwala people this premiership it is such a special feeling.”

It was as if mother nature waited for the ball to be bounced at Moama Recreation Reserve for the heavens to open, as the 2022 MFL decider got under way in torrential conditions.

But that didn’t seem to faze the minor premier Cobram outfit, who settled into the contest seamlessly and got on top from the get-go.

Young gun Luca Allen was the instigator of the Tigers’ hot start, booting the game’s first two goals, before younger brother Matteo followed suit with a long-range bomb from the centre square to extend Cobram’s lead to 18 at the first change.

Well and truly under the pump, Mulwala simply had to respond in the second term, and as has been the case for much of the past decade, Robinson delivered with his side’s first of the day.

With the breeze at their back, the Lions would begin to get on top in general play throughout the second term, but with the rain coming down hard couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard.

This inability to convert, plus a vital goal against the flow by Cobram’s Tyron Baden would see the margin stay at 18 points at the main change.

Having just one goal to its name in the first half, and conceding the first of the third after Matthew DeMaio converted in the opening minute to go 24 points down, Mulwala needed a spark to keep itself a float.

And how fitting that Robinson, who announced his retirement post-game, gave the Lions faithful one last magic moment — converting a set shot from where the 50-metre arc meets the boundary to lift his team.

From there Mulwala was off to the races, with Beau Clarke, Owen Conway and Robinson again adding majors to trim the Cobram lead to just seven at the final change.

“We just never took a backwards step,” Davies said of his ability to get back into the game in the third term.

“They put a 20-point lead on us early with that big breeze, but I didn’t think they truly capitalised and I knew there’d be a stage we could get back into the game.

“When Sean Robinson played on and kicked that goal from the pocket that ignited us.

“And it was just a grind, the rain was coming down, but we just kept on coming and put ourselves in a great position.”

With the match perfectly poised, it truly was anybody’s game as the last quarter commenced.

And now having the breeze at their backs, Mulwala continued its surge, with Owen Conway converting from deep in the pocket, before a controversial moment gifted the Lions the lead.

Having sent the ball deep inside forward 50, Cobram defender Cadeyn Williams appeared to take a strong contested mark, but wasn’t paid by the umpire.

Some choice words to the umpire would then see the ball given to Lions ruckman Smith, who saluted from 20 metres out to give Mulwala its first lead of the day.

As the clock ticked into time on, and the sun began to shine through the clouds, it was all or nothing Cobram.

And through the final minutes it began to get back on top, giving itself two opportunities to retake the lead, with Baden shanking a running shot.

Before Timothy Garlick was unable to seize the moment as the game entered its final 60 seconds, missing a regulation set shot to all but seal Cobram’s fate with the siren ending moments after Mulwala sent the ball back into play.

In what was as tense a finish as you are likely to see on grand final day, Davies relived those dramatic final moments.

“Those final minutes were just incredible, the boys fought so hard and I knew when we hit the front there was no stopping us,” he said.

“In saying that though there were a few nervy moments in the lead up to the siren, but when it went it was just an incredible feeling.

“This group and this town just means so much to me and I’ve loved the journey this year.”