There is no wonder Moama was rejoicing at training this week, given it has emulated last season’s efforts.
“The vibe was obviously pretty exciting,” Moama assistant coach Jye Warren said, following the side’s midweek hit-out.
There is no resting on its laurels, especially since the preliminary final from last season ended in a painful defeat.
Mulwala, the Magpies’ opponent last season, went on to win the flag one week later.
It will serve as added motivation for the Pies this weekend when they meet the Lions, again with a spot in the decider at stake.
“It’s something we’ve brought up probably the last couple of weeks,” Warren said.
“Not taking away from Mulwala, but we felt that we had a massive probably month and a half of football before coming up into the prelim.
“Everyone was pretty shot by the time we got to that prelim at Deni, there were a few sore bodies on that day ... Sam’s (Sheldon) definitely said ‘we’re going to make sure that everyone’s fit and firing for that game on Saturday’.”
With reigning premier Mulwala having lost against Congupna last weekend, there have been question marks surrounding the Lions’ capabilities on a big ground, but it is not something Moama will buy into.
“You can sit there and talk about how Mulwala love it in nice and tight and Congupna seemed to sort of catch them off guard on the outside, but we don’t think that’s one of their weaknesses,” Warren said.
“I think they spread pretty hard across the ground as well, so it’s going to be pretty hard to make it more of an outside game out at Cobram, it’s pretty windy out there.
“You can try and use the whole ground, but I think the way Mulwala play, their spread from the contest is pretty elite.
“We’re going to have to look for a lot of ways to try and beat them, because they’re obviously the premier side in the competition.”
While remaining respectful of the opposition, the belief is at an all-time high within the Magpies’ ranks and with a few handy inclusions possibly to come, there is no denying the overall goal.
“If you don’t think you could win it then I don’t think you should be in competition,” Warren said.
“We’re obviously thinking about that last round, we wanted to get through the season and not only play some great footy, but I honestly think we’ve got the list to go all the way and give it a hot crack.
“All fingers crossed that our Pioneers boys are available to play, Jobe Shanahan and Lachie Hogan, hopefully they’re available to play.
“If not, then we’ll just go in with that same side as we had on the weekend and I have faith in everybody that was playing on that day that we can get the job done.
“Like I said, if you’re not confident, then you shouldn’t be going into the game.”
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