After a slow start to the season, the Lakers have slowly built over the past month and on Saturday afternoon they announced themselves as a true contender come September, knocking off ladder-leader Avenel 13.16 (94) to 13.10 (90) away from home.
A scintillating seven-goal burst in the third term proved the catalyst for the victory, as Nagambie turned a 15-point half-time deficit into a 20-point lead at the final change.
The result sees it push up into seventh spot on the KDL ladder and coach Tyrone Muir was incredibly proud of the effort.
“It was a really good day for the club to head over to Avenel and pick up the win,” Muir said.
“Going into the game as underdogs, we knew if we brought the level of footy we’d been playing over the past few weeks we’d be a good chance.
“The big focus for us was to use our speed and utilise the open spaces — and after really challenging them in round one, we were confident we could get it done this time around.”
After a pair of bruising encounters against top challengers Murchison-Toolamba and Stanhope, Avenel showed no signs of fatigue in the opening stages, skipping away to an early lead.
Holding a six-point advantage heading into the second quarter, the Swans continued to play the game on their terms with midfield dominance from Mitch Tobin, Braydon Avola and Tim Karolidis helping them take a 15-point lead in to half-time.
But it was as if the teams changed jumpers to begin the second half, as Nagambie got on top around the ball.
This allowed spearhead Nathan Fothergill to take over the game up forward, as he booted four goals in a best-on-ground performance.
“We tried to just be brave with the footy. We looked inside at every opportunity, switched the ball as much we could and used our run,” Muir said.
“Up forward we also made the most of our opportunities, which was something we didn’t do in the first half.”
But just as it seemed like the Lakers were going to pull away in the final term, Avenel did what all good sides do and mounted a late charge.
Spurred on by a forward set-up that yielded 13 individual goal-kickers, the Swans trimmed the margin back to within a kick and looked threatening in the final minutes.
But the siren came at the ideal time for Nagambie, as it recorded a memorable four-point win.
Muir said confidence was high as the road to September heated up.
“This win just reinforces to the buys the reward for effort if you work hard, put pressure on the opposition and take your opportunities,” he said.
“No doubt going forward if we do make it into the eight we can do some damage as we firmly believe we can beat anybody.”
Around the grounds, Violet Town was far too good for a Cameron Mooney-led Longwood, with 31 goals between spearheads Jack Exell and Josh Mellington lifting the Towners to a 203-point win.
Shepparton East recorded a much-needed 78-point win over Dookie United to keep its hopes of a top-two finish alive.
Undera rounded out the weekend’s action with a dominant 64-point win over Tallygaroopna.