They’re absolutely flying at 4-1 and are fresh off a massive scalp – it’s a good time to be a Magpie.

Wangaratta’s senior squad will set out to continue their brilliant run of form when they host a dangerous Lavington Panthers outfit this Saturday at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.

Despite their red-hot start and continued strength, Magpies coach Jason Heatley said they weren’t content to rest on their laurels and not do the work.

“4-1 certainly looks okay on paper, but there’s still a lot of work we need to do,” he said.

“We’re nowhere near comfortable with where we need to be, but we’re mindful that every opposition brings different strengths to the game, and Lavi will bring their own this week.

“That’s the only way you can be right now, if you’re not getting things semi-right, then the wins and losses don’t really matter.”

Heatley said between the playing senior squad, the thunderingly strong reserves side, and those players still on the sidelines, they had plenty of strings to their bow.

“I think Jett Roberts has been solid, I think Jack Mapleson has come into the side and been really solid,” he said.

“I think it’s the health of some of our other guys, Brad Melville’s healthy, Michael Bordignon is healthy, so we’re getting even contribution.

“We have Tyson Young who’s very adaptable, we can play him in multiple ways should we need to.

“Joel Stevens is starting to really fit into our mix as well.

“We know we’ve got some guys not playing as well who in the next two or three weeks will be ready to go, [Daniel] Sharrock, [Waitai] Tua, [Josh] Tweedale, these sorts of guys.

“There’s healthy competition for us.

“The more we play together, we think the better our output can be.

“There’s a lot to like, there’s a lot to do on the back end though.”

Despite heading into the clash with Lavington as odds-on favourites, the Magpies aren’t taking their opposition for granted.

“They’re super competitive for a start - they’ve been in every game, that tells you they’re dangerous,” Heatley said.

“They have a really well-organised midfield which covers the ground really well and a big guy [Tim Oosterhoff] that if he gets off the hook can be very dangerous.

“They have a lot of weapons, and I’m sure their planning for the weekend will be on-point, Schneids [Lavington coach Adam Schneider] is very articulate.”

The Magpies host Lavington at the Wangaratta Showgrounds this Saturday 16 May.

Meanwhile, the ladder-leading Rovers will look to extend their 2026 winning streak to six games when they take on the 2-3 Albury Tigers at the Sports Ground.

The Hawks have been nigh-untouchable again this year, and are firing across all three lines.

While the first third of the year has been rough for the Tigers, their much-touted recruits are starting to find their feet and will take the momentum of back-to-back wins into their shot at the reigning premiers.