League leader Shepparton East continued its pacesetting trend on Saturday, claiming a huge 46-goal victory on the road over Longwood.
The 71-25 victory at Longwood Recreation Reserve keeps the Eagles at a perfect 9-0 record in their 2025 campaign, with their miserly defence again contributing to their huge percentage of 242.53, which remains far and away the best across the league.
Nagambie is quietly building its campaign in second spot, having comfortably accounted for Lancaster 52-30 at home on Saturday.
Since an opening round loss to Violet Town the Lakers have gone on an eight-game unbeaten streak, climbing up the ladder to sit as the best side behind the unbeaten Shepp East with an 8-1 record, in stark contrast to the Wombats, who now plunge to 3-6 as their year turns to damage limitation.
Perhaps the biggest surprise packet of the season has been Rushworth, improving to 8-1 alongside Nagambie following a 51-33 beating of Stanhope at the weekend.
It hasn’t been a soft draw for the Tigers, either, who last week stunned Girgarre by a goal to show the rest of the competition they are the real deal, while the Lions are looking for improvement on their 2024 form also, finishing round 10 a game out of the top six at 4-5 for the year, but well and truly in the finals hunt, having finished best of the rest last season in seventh.
At Undera Recreation Reserve, Merrigum proved too strong for the host with a 46-36 victory, while Tallygaroopna kept hold of sixth place with a 44-35 win over seventh-placed Murchison-Toolamba at home.
Girgarre bounced back into form with a solid showing over Avenel, clinching a 56-41 win at Avenel Recreation Reserve, cementing itself in fourth spot with a 7-2 record following the previous week’s loss to Rushworth.
The loss leaves the Swans vulnerable in fifth, given they are currently locked in the battle for the remaining finals spots.
With positions 1-4 enjoying a two-game gap from the rest of the competition and showing no signs of slowing down, the Swans are leading the chasing pack in fifth, however, with a 5-4 record, are just a game clear of Stanhope in eighth amid a fiercely contested battle to clinch a finals berth.
It sets up a bumper round 11, which will have Shepparton East take on Rushworth in a huge first versus third clash, Nagambie and Girgarre face off in a second v fourth thriller and Avenel will take on Stanhope in a bid to put some extra distance between itself and the finals challengers.
