In a heavyweight Murray Netball League clash between Rumbalara and Mulwala on Saturday, the Lions looked set to provide a challenge to the competition’s unbeaten side.
Mulwala entered the match with the competition’s third-best record of 11 wins and three losses, albeit one of which was an early season thumping at the hands of Rumbalara.
However, with six wins from its past seven games and home court advantage to boot, the opportunity to claim the biggest scalp of them all seemed up for grabs — but it was never close to being.
While it was not quite the round seven 23-goal victory, Rumbalara still recorded a comfortable 16-goal win over the third-placed Lions, condemning Mulwala to its fourth loss of 2025 and extending its flawless season out to a 15th consecutive win.
The reigning premier boasts the best scoring rate of any team in the league by a considerable margin, averaging 62 goals a game, with second-placed Nathalia averaging nine goals less at 53 a game.
The top sides will take the court for a round six rematch in the final home and away weekend of the season, with their previous encounter seeing the Purples lose by three goals.
It remains Nathalia’s only loss for the season and, with a percentage currently better than Rumbalara, the final round could determine the minor premiership.
For Mulwala, the Lions fortunately still hold a two-game buffer ahead of fourth on the ladder, and if games against bottom two clubs Finley and Cobram run according to plan, as well as a top-six battle against Tongala, then the Lions will hold their position at season’s end.
Around the courts, Nathalia continued to establish its dominance in second with a one-sided destruction of Finley, winning 73-12.
Tongala coasted by Cobram to claim a 24-goal win, while Moama staved off a Deniliquin charge, defeating the Rams by 13.
Echuca United claimed an upset victory over Numurkah by three goals to close the gap between the pair on the ladder, leaving the door ajar for a late push to finals as the club sits outside the equation by eight premiership points.
Congupna too remains a mathematical chance to make finals, albeit it would take some miracle, but the road to September is still technically alive.
Barooga was defeated by Congupna by 10 goals and handed its 13th loss of the season.
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