In a heavyweight Kyabram District League senior football clash at Lancaster Recreation Reserve, the Wombats toppled reigning premier Murchison-Toolamba by 17 points to hand the Hoppers their first loss since the 2023 finals series and upend the status quo just over a month out from finals.
With Murchison-Toolamba looking untouchable across the first 12 rounds of the season and seemingly well on the way to a second consecutive premiership, the Wombats’ 11.13 (79) to 10.2 (62) triumph has brought the Hoppers back to the pack, with the premiership race now blown wide open.
“Yeah, really impressed by the way the boys performed,” coach Nick Ryan said of his troops following the big win.
“We’re starting to get a some guys back on the park now, and still a few to come back in, but the 21 that turned up, we had every bloke perform, so couldn’t have asked for much more.”
In a statement of intent, Lancaster burst out of the blocks in the first quarter at the weekend, booting four-goals-to-one to enjoy a 12-point lead at quarter time, although an errant 1.5 in the second term kept Murchison-Toolamba in the contest, the Hoppers kicking three straight to trail by 11 at the main interval.
As the teams emerged after half time, it remained to be seen whether the Hoppers had any punches left to throw, yet the Wombats quelled any such attacks, even extending the margin again slightly as both sides managed two goals for the term, leaving Lancaster with a 57-44 lead to defend heading into the final term.
Peppering the goal face with seven scoring shots for the quarter, Lancaster once again extending its lead in the fourth, booting 3.4 to Murchison-Toolamba’s three straight to seal a victory the sends a message to the rest of the competition, although it came as no surprise to Ryan and his troops, who have only lost one game - by a solitary point - all season.
“We haven’t really gone into a game this year where we didn’t feel like we were going to go in and be really competitive or we didn’t think we could come away with the four points,” he said.
“Obviously every game is a little bit of an unknown until you get to the end of the year and there are sides you’ve played against before, but we were full of confidence that we could get the job done.”
Adam Lovison led the way for the Wombats in the memorable victory, well supported by skipper Charlie McLay and Phillip Carroll, while Tom Davies, Nicholas Kellow (two goals) and Matthew Fleming (one goal) rounded out the best.
Morrie Serra led the way in terms of scoring with a game high three majors, while Ryan himself contributed nicely with a pair, and Zaid Besim, Blake McAuliffe and Jordan O’Neill all hit the scoreboard with a goal each in the win.
The brilliant victory ensures Lancaster move level with Murchison-Toolamba at the top of the ladder on 44 points, sitting second only on percentage as the race for the minor premiership well and truly heats up, yet the Wombats aren’t focusing too much on that, preferring to stay in the moment.
“We hope that with the run home we are as close to locking up a top two spot as we can be,” Ryan said.
“We’ve put ourselves in a really strong position, so looking towards finals we are in a really good spot.
“But when we reflect back on (Saturday), I think we can get a bit caught up in looking towards finals and trying to win a flag, and sort of forget to enjoy the home and away season too much.
“So, (we are) just trying to take the enjoyment out of the wins like we got (on Saturday), and just keep moving forward.”
The other top four clash in a jam-packed round 13 saw Shepparton East hand Nagambie a big blow, with the Lakers’ hopes of contending now seemingly dashed after big defeats to each of their top three rivals.
It was a red-hot start from the Eagles at Central Park, with a blistering seven-goal opening term setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
After a dominant first-half saw Shepp East lead 71-28 at the main break, it was a much more competitive showing from Nagambie in the third term, keeping pace with the Eagles as both sides slotted three goals, although the home side did eke the margin out by a couple of points to lead by 45 at the final change.
Just as they had in the first term, however, the Eagles scored at will in the last, decimating the Lakers with a seven-goal-to-one final quarter to blow the margin out to 81 points by the final siren, a decisive result that keeps Shepp East third on the ladder, now a game clear of Nagambie in fourth.
Elsewhere, Girgarre handed out a 17.13 (115) to 6.6 (42) thumping to Tallygaroopna, Stanhope proved too strong for Undera with a 16.12 (108) to 9.13 (67) victory, and Longwood claimed a huge 12.12 (84) to 6.7 (43) over Rushworth, moving the Redlegs a game clear of the chasing pack in fifth spot as they look to shore up a finals spot.
Lastly, Avenel trumped Violet Town by 89 points on Sunday.
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