The Shepparton outfit’s title chase received a major boost in round 15 after pacesetter Malvern City fell to an unexpected loss last time out, with victory over top-three rivals Essendon Royals bringing Craig Carley’s charges within five points of the summit.
That vital win essentially proved to be a six-pointer in the tussle for promotion to next season’s VPL 1, with the Suns now six points clear of third-placed Box Hill United Pythagoras.
Having passed the halfway mark of the campaign, it remains to be seen whether the current ladder leader Malvern will be able to see off its title challengers from the Goulburn Valley during the business end of the term.
The Suns are unbeaten in the past two months, with this stunning run having catapulted them firmly into the premiership picture.
Having bowed out of the Australia Cup at the hands of Bulleen Lions as the last remaining regional Victorian side in the competition, the focus within the Suns’ ranks can now solely be fixed on their league commitments.
Now, the second-placed side’s head coach has sized up his next opponents as he looks to mastermind another win on the road.
“We’re fully focused on chasing down Malvern,” Carley said ahead of the trip down the highway to Melbourne.
“I’m a firm believer that everyone has a bit of a slip throughout the season and I believe that we had ours early (in the season) when we lost those couple of games.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time and, obviously, Altona City is going to be a tough test.
“They’ve been resilient defensively and they’re fighting for their lives and don’t want to be relegated – so they will see this as an opportunity to pick up points too.
“These are the places where we need to go and pick up points if we’re going to achieve what we’ve set out to and, ultimately, that’s promotion at the end of the season.”
With the Suns hot on their shoulder, it remains to be seen whether Malvern City will bounce back at the first time of asking in its next fixture in the form of an away visit to Whittlesea United on June 5 from 8pm.
The GV Suns will face off against Altona City in round 16 of the VPL 2 on June 6, with kick-off from 6.15pm at HC Kim Reserve.
