Following a 2025 campaign the netted five wins and a ninth-placed finish, Violet Town has made an impressive start to 2026, notching a third consecutive win, and fourth of its campaign, to sit a clear fifth on the ladder.
Heading to Murchison Recreation Reserve to take on the Hoppers, the Towners proved unrelenting, claiming a comfortable 43-23 victory on the road to ensure their purple patch of form continues for at least another week.
The win has the Towners half a game clear of sixth-placed Merrigum at the end of the round, and a game behind the trio of Nagambie, Lancaster and Rushworth, in what has been a brilliant fightback after a tough opening few rounds of the season.
Losses to the Lakers and Bulldogs inside the opening three games had Violet Town up against it from the start, however co-coaches Jayde Burden and Kolby Wild have managed to turn their side’s fortunes around in the past month, with the win over the Hoppers on Saturday coming off the back of 15 and 22-goal victories against Longwood and Undera, respectively.
A real test for the Towners comes next week in the form of Tallygaroopna, though, with the eighth-placed Redlegs having shown plenty against the top handful of sides already this season, even if they haven’t managed to secure wins.
Around the grounds, Nagambie shored up its standing as the second-best side so far this season behind Shepp East with a percentage-boosting 54-16 win over Longwood at Recreation Reserve.
The Lakers now sit at 5-1 through six games, level with both Lancaster and Rushworth, however with a 16 per cent buffer over the third-placed Wombats.
The Tigers sit fourth in that battle due to percentage, however a massive win over Undera has dragged them right back into the fight, as their 73-26 triumph at the weekend improved their percentage from 137 to 156.
Merrigum continued its solid start with a 50-32 victory over 2025 runner-up Girgarre to keep hold of sixth spot, while the Roos are left languishing down in 11th with a solitary win to their name following a raft of changes to the A grade side in the off-season.
Avenel managed to stop a run of three straight losses at the weekend in its contest against Stanhope, proving too strong for the Lions in the 53-37 win at Avenel Recreation Reserve.
The Swans remarkably sit only two points outside the top six despite going 1-3 over the past month, given a strong start to the year, although their percentage of 87 will need some improving if they are to compete against the sides around them.
