Cross-river rivals: Cobram’s Bailey Roberts is chased by Barooga’s Jack Charlton during last year’s round three clash that saw the Tigers win by 178 points.
Photo by
Daniel Webb
When it comes to home-and-away matches, they do not get much bigger than this.
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Barooga and Cobram will face off in their traditional Good Friday clash this week, but for Hawks coach Luke Jarjoura, the meeting is far, far more than just a standard round two clash.
“That is our grand final,” Jarjoura said.
“Everyone at our club, including the supporters, have had one eye on round two as soon as the fixture was released. We will be building it up as such.”
For a young Hawks side looking to make the finals for the first time since 2018, Jarjoura said the blockbuster rivalry game against the Tigers would provide a great chance to sample the intensity of post-season football.
“I think it is an opportunity for guys who haven’t tasted finals or played at a very high level, they get to taste that tribal final atmosphere where it is going to be hot right from the get-go,” he said.
“It is an opportunity for players to experience that finals-type atmosphere.
“This is our grand final on Good Friday, I am looking forward to the opportunity.”
On the flip-side, Cobram coach John Brunskill said the Tigers wouldn’t let the big occasion get to them.
“It’s another opportunity to get four points in the bank. It is a grudge match, but it is another chance at getting four points,” Brunskill said.
“We understand that it is a big game between Cobram and Barooga, on Good Friday we generally get a big crowd.
“We try not to worry too much about the occasion, we just try to focus on what is in front of us.”
Cobram has won its last four meetings against the Hawks, including a monstrous 178-point win in round three last year and a 118-point drubbing in round 10.
Barooga’s last win over the Tigers came in round 16 in 2019 as the Hawks got the job done by five points that day.
Cobram will head into Friday’s game at Barooga Recreation Reserve on the back of a 23-point win over Nathalia, while the Hawks will be keen to bounce back from an 84-point defeat to Congupna.
Rivalry round: Sarah Flett in action for Cobram during last year’s A-grade clash against Barooga.
Photo by
Daniel Webb
On the netball court, Cobram and Barooga will be battling it out as they each look to claim their first win of the season.
The Tigers and Hawks both lost in round one, falling to Nathalia and Congupna respectively.
The cross-river rivals were neck-and-neck last season, finishing the year with the same number of wins and losses; four victories and 12 defeats.
Their parity was evident in their two head-to-head meetings as well. Barooga prevailed by 13 goals in round three, before Cobram triumphed by the exact same margin in round 10.
After missing out on finals netball last year, both sides will be hoping they can climb into the top six this season.
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