The Ibises backed up thrashings of Spring Gully (7-2) and Golden City (6-0) by dismantling Shepparton South 5-0 at the Howley Oval fortress, a venue where it has dropped only three games in as many seasons.
A pressure-filled opening stanza from the black and white visitors was quickly peeled away by dangerous Tatura striker Xavier Black, finding the back of the net four times - two either side of half-time - before Aaron Niglia put the finishing touches on with a strike of his own.
It was a comprehensive performance against last year’s grand finalist, with Ibises’ coach Jose Rivera crediting his whole squad for a valuable 3-0 start to the League 1 season.
“[Shepparton South] have some good players and a good team,” Rivera said.
“We handled the pressure in the first 20 minutes, and we dealt with that.
“For us, everyone performed well. Shepp South and Tatura is always the local derby, and everyone gives 100 per cent.”
After securing the triple crown from 2022-24, Tatura fell short at the final hurdle against Shepparton United in its pursuit of a four-peat.
But Rivera says a renewed focus on youth and local talent will fuel the proud club’s bid for more silverware.
“Before we started pre-season, we sat down with the committee and our idea this year was to build a new team,” the first-year senior coach said.
“We have a couple 17 and 19-year-olds, and I think we have an average age of 21.
“We’ve just concentrated on bringing the talent from the under-18s and reserves from last year to try and build a team for the next four to five years.”
The Ibises sit second on the ladder behind United on goal difference only, with a match-up down the highway against Eaglehawk next on the fixture.
Blues’ talisman Rumesh Bartaula mirrored Black’s heroics with four goals of his own in a 6-0 drubbing of Golden City, with new addition from the GV Suns, Tutu Taya, netting twice in his second game.
Meanwhile, Shepparton SC will do some soul-searching after suffering a double dose of late heartbreak.
After conceding a point one minute before added time last week to La Trobe University, it was a carbon copy event against Strathdale at Vibert Reserve, with Nasir Khtaf’s 31st-minute strike going in vain as Ryan Merriman equalised with 25 minutes to play.
Connor Boxshall then broke Reds hearts in the cruellest fashion, his 95th-minute winner consigning the winless Shepparton to continuing its hunt for a maiden win.
Their next opportunity will come against Spring Gully in round five.
In the women’s competition, Tatura’s mission to capture its first win of the year fell just short as the Ibises and the third-placed Shepparton South played out a nil-all draw.
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