Hosting Deniliquin at Scott Oval on Saturday, the Tigers were at their damaging best from the opening ball-up, essentially putting the contest to bed by quarter-time en route to a huge 19.20 (134) to 2.2 (14) victory over the Rams.
Heading into the game sitting in second spot on the ladder, one of five teams on 20 points before the weekend, the Tigers looked determined to squeeze every last percentage point out of the contest on Saturday.
In ruthless fashion, the reigning premier piled on the pain early with an 8.6 opening term to lead a shellshocked Rams outfit 54-6 at the first break, all but ending the visitors’ hopes of an upset win on the road before the game had really even got started.
From there, the Tigers were out for blood, pushing the margin beyond 70 points by half-time with another four-goal-to-one quarter in the second, leading 84-13 at the main break, and the scoreboard was starting to look fairly ominous for Deniliquin.
Scoring slowed after half-time for Cobram, but the intent did not, and in a supreme showing, the home side kept the Rams to a single behind in the second half as the margin slowly crept out to beyond 100 points.
The third term saw the Tigers add 2.5 to cross the triple-figure threshold, keeping the visitors scoreless in the process, while a 5.3 final term to one behind from Deniliquin pushed the advantage to the eventual 120-point winning margin.
Cobram was led by Perry Lewis-Smith, named best-on-ground yet again — his 10th mention in the best from 11 games — with five goals to his name, just ahead of both Tyron Baden and Ben Ryan, who also both booted bags of five to be named in the best.
Bowen Calogero was influential with three majors, while Luca Allen and Bailey Roberts rounded out the best, and Jack Murray the goalscorers, having booted one.
The win ensures Cobram remains second behind runaway leader Congupna, leading a group of four teams all with a 7-4 record, but boasting a far superior percentage than the next best in Mulwala, some 57 per cent behind.
The Tigers will look to make it four on the trot this weekend when they travel to Tongala, seeking to avenge the two-point defeat they suffered last time out against the Blues, but will have to overcome a Norm Smith medallist if they are to do so.
In a huge coup for both Tongala and the league, four-time AFL premiership Hawk and 2015 Norm Smith medallist Cyril Rioli will be lining up for the Blues on Saturday at Tongala Recreation Reserve, marking the first time he will have laced up the boots in Victoria at community level since his retirement in 2018.
