Round six of competition at the weekend saw the first opportunity for the Wombats to exact revenge on Murchison-Toolamba for the defeat the Hoppers handed them in last season’s decider, and with a home crowd behind them, they more than lived up to the occasion.
Hosting the Hoppers at Lancaster Recreation Reserve on Saturday, the Wombats controlled the contest from first whistle to final siren, clinching a 13.12 (90) to 11.8 (74) victory, maintaining a spotless record while adding a second blemish to Murchison-Toolamba’s.
From the jump, Lancaster’s intent was obvious, with the memories of the heartbreaking two-point defeat in the grand final no doubt providing ample motivation to attack the footy with ferocity.
By quarter-time, the Wombats had raced out to a 5.2 (32) to 1.2 (8) lead, although being the champion side that they are the Hoppers had an answer in the second term.
A four-goal-to-two quarter in favour of the visitor saw Murchison-Toolamba close the gap towards what was becoming an obvious scoring end, although it wasn’t able to score as heavily as the Wombats, who still led by a handy 15 points heading into the main break.
The third term, though, proved the difference between the pair, as the Wombats put the foot down and created a definitive break.
In an ironic twist, Lancaster made all the running in the premiership quarter – maybe foreshadowing the club’s September ambitions – with a formidable six-goal burst to bury the reigning premier, opening up a 48-point lead heading into the final break, up 13.9 (87) to the Hoppers’ 6.3 (39), with the visitors mustering just 1.1 in the third.
Kicking to the scoring end in the final term, the Hoppers still gave it a good shake, but ultimately inaccuracy foiled the charge, with a return of 5.5 only good enough to make the margin a respectable 16 points at the final siren, as the Wombats hung on to claim victory.
Matthew Fleming led the charge for Lancaster in a best-on-ground performance, closely followed by Adam Lovison and Shannon Fleming, while Ricky Thomson (one goal), skipper Charlie McLay (four goals) and Ryan Hatch (one goal) rounded out the most influential.
Luke Davies joined McLay in kicking four majors, while Daniel Foley was the only other multiple goal-kicker for Lancaster with two.
Jesse Anderson-Clarke was named Murchison-Toolamba’s best in the defeat, kicking two goals, while James Lloyd led all comers with five majors to his name, as the Hoppers slip to 3-2 after the loss.
Elsewhere, Nagambie also remains unbeaten through six rounds, having claimed a massive 22.24 (156) to 5.1 (31) victory over Merrigum, Tom Barnes booting 10 goals in the victory which keeps the Lakers atop the ladder with a percentage of more than 440.
Undera scored a similarly big victory to get off the mark in 2026, handing Violet Town a 29.15 (189) to 10.7 (67) defeat, while Avenel notched a handy 35-point victory on the road, beating Rushworth 17.15 (117) to 12.10 (82).
Longwood edged out a plucky Stanhope 15.11 (101) to 13.10 (88), moving a game clear in third with a 4-1 record, while Shepparton East claimed a 19-point win over Girgarre despite having 16 more scoring shots, kicking a wildly inaccurate 6.21 (57) to 5.8 (38).
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