Former Ovens and King champion James McClounan has helped lead the Wangaratta Magpies to an emphatic 70-point win over Albury Tigers at the Wangaratta Showgrounds, booting six goals in the 18.13 (121) to 7.9 (51) result.

It was an extremely balanced contest early, with Albury heading into the first break with a slight lead, but the Magpies put the foot down in the second quarter, slamming on 5.6 in the term to blow Albury away.

While the Tigers would fight out the match valiantly, a result was put beyond them, thanks to Wangaratta’s dogged defence, hard two-way running and precise ball movement.

Magpies coach Jason Heatley said while they let a few chances go begging, there was plenty to be happy with from the performance.

“We expected them to come out of the blocks, and they did - they’ve got some class and quality around the footy, we just needed to get the game on our terms,” he said.

“Momentum started shifting late in the first quarter, we were able to hold that and we had a pretty good second quarter and put the game away.

“It’s just the connection piece forward, the message has been the same all year, that’s our big body of work.

“That’s where a lot of our energy and focus goes into, but we’ll get it right - it’s about system and how you want to move the ball.”

McClounan was outstanding, finishing with 6.5 for the game, while Jackson Hewitt, Cam Barrett, Fraser Ellis, and Mathew Grossman turned in brilliant shifts across the four quarters.

After a few quiet matches, Heatley said McClounan’s presence and execution up forward was pivotal, but the entire team deserved praise.

“We probably needed that one – by his [McClounan’s] own admission, he’s probably had a few down weeks, so we’re played him a bit different,” he said.

“He’s very good with ball in hand, so we’re comfortable with that, even though he probably left a few out there, but with ball in hand, he makes it dangerous from a scoreboard perspective.

“We’ve played without our two key backs for a month now, and [Mat] Grossman’s been heroic almost at times, with his ability to just get the job done.

“We’re just all about being even, we don’t rely on high possession winners, we’d rather share the love and carry the load across the board.

“That’s what can keep us in games.”

The Magpies sit second on the ladder behind arch-rivals Rovers, who managed to escape from JC Lowe Oval with the points by the skin of their teeth.

Taking on Corowa-Rutherglen on their own deck, the Rovers managed to finish with a two-goal margin, 8.12 (60) to 7.5 (47).

The match swung from low-scoring slog to shootout, with Rovers’ defence holding up late in the piece while their forwards slotted crucial goals late for the win.

Mitch Hardie and Sam Cattapan ran riot through the middle of the park, while big forwards Will Christie and Nathan Cooper finished with two goals each.

Local teams will recommence their O&M seasons in the second week of the split round 13, with Rovers at home to North Albury, and Magpies away to Wodonga Raiders on Saturday 18 July.