That changed on Saturday, as the back-to-back reigning premier put together a commanding performance against Rushworth, obliterating the Tigers in a mammoth 31.13 (199) to 5.8 (38) victory on the road to quell any doubts about their form.
Travelling to Ironbark Stadium, the Hoppers booted the highest score the league has seen this season to earn the 161-point victory, eclipsing the 31.11 (197) Nagambie kicked in round seven, reminding the rest of the competition how potent they can be.
What makes the score even more remarkable, is that the Hoppers endured a relatively slow start.
Kicking 4.4 to 1.3 in the first term, Murchison-Toolamba led 28-9 at the first break, and few would have envisioned the scale of the devastation that was about to hit Rushworth, with the Tigers still very much in the contest only 17 points in arrears.
By half-time, though, the Tigers would surely have been switching to damage control mode, as the Hoppers blew the contest to smithereens.
A 9.4 quarter from the visitors was impressive in its own right, but the Hoppers restricted the Tigers to three points for the term at the same time, as the margin grew to an astonishing 74 points at the main break.
Murchison-Toolamba kept the foot down in the third term, if only slightly more subdued, kicking another 8.2 to see the advantage extend into triple figures and, while the Tigers managed to put another 2.1 on the board, it was turning into a dirty day, trailing by 111 points with a full term still to play.
Adding insult to injury, the Hoppers had saved their best for the final quarter, too.
A whopping 10.3 was added to the scoreboard by the visitors as they came tantalisingly close to crossing the 200-point barrier for the first time this season, falling short at 199 points, but still making a strong, loud statement, that their challengers will be forced to take notice of.
A pair of spearheads made the most of the day, too, with James and Aidan Lloyd notching double figure bags, kicking 11 and 10 majors, respectively, while taking their season tallies to 33 and 39 apiece to sit third and second, respectively, on the goal-kicking leaderboard.
The pair was named the Hoppers’ best, while Joshua Wild, Brodie Sanders, Ashton Cashion and Brayden Cecchin rounded out the most influential in the victory, and Adam Macgibbon (three goals), Jesse Anderson-Clarke (two goals) and Ajak Dang (two goals) finished their afternoon with multiple majors.
Brad Canny led the Tigers’ efforts in the loss as his side’s best.
The win has boosted Murchison-Toolamba’s percentage to more than 200 as they continue to occupy third spot with five wins and two losses, while Rushworth’s struggles this season continue following a preliminary final berth in 2025, sitting 10th with a 2-5 record.
Elsewhere, Nagambie has continued its unbeaten run to sit comfortably atop the ladder, registering an 18.14 (122) to 5.10 (40) victory over Avenel at Nagambie Recreation Reserve, while Longwood enjoyed a strong 16.15 (111) to 9.7 (61) win over Girgarre on the road.
Shepparton East claimed a big 106-point win over Merrigum at Central Park Recreation Reserve, but the 17.30 (132) to 4.2 (26) scoreline suggests some percentage may have been left on the table.
Stanhope sits on the cusp of the top six after securing the four points over Undera, winning 20.19 (139) to 13.4 (82) to move to seventh, only percentage behind sixth-placed Avenel, while Tallygaroopna sits one win back but with a game in hand following its victory over Violet Town on Saturday, triumphing 14.10 (94) to 11.6 (72).
