Wangaratta Magpies came oh so close again to upsetting a serious contender for the 2026 A grade premiership when it came within two goals of rolling Yarrawonga on Saturday at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.

The Pigeons held their nerve to take the match 46-44.

There were barely a few goals separating the sides throughout the match, again reflecting the tightness of the competition, especially between the top six sides.

Magpies coach Shea Cunningham was realistic about the result.

"In the end, Yarrawonga were just a little cleaner with their opportunities at key moments and were able to capitalise on a couple of turnovers late," Cunningham said.

"Against a side sitting second on the ladder, there was very little between the teams.

"The low score was a reflection of the intensity and pressure right across the court.

"Both teams defended strongly, contested every possession and made it difficult for attackers to find easy ball.

"It felt like every goal had to be earned, which is often the case when two committed defensive units come up against each other."

Cunningham said Holly Humphry (WA) and Leah Jenvey (C) were outstanding through the midcourt and probably produced their most consistent performances of the season.

"Both worked tirelessly in transition, applied strong defensive pressure and provided plenty of drive for us throughout the game," she said.

"Amanda (Umanski, 27 goals) was strong under the post once again, giving us a reliable target and competing hard all day.

"Milly O'Kane (GK,GD) was exceptional in the defensive circle, creating a number of turnover opportunities and continually disrupting Yarrawonga's attacking flow."

Cunningham said the biggest lesson for her squad from the match was how important the small moments matter, especially against the top sides.

"We matched Yarrawonga's intensity, effort and physicality for most of the afternoon, but we need to continue improving our execution under pressure at critical times," she said.

The Magpies hit the road to Lavington this weekend to take on the Panthers who pushed the Magpies out of the top five with their win against Myrtleford.

Up in Wodonga at the weekend, Wangaratta Rovers kept up the fight against the Bulldogs but were outmuscled by their experienced opponents who led at every change to storm to a 69-49 victory.

Despite the margin, coach Stacey Lamb remained enthused with her side's willingness to persist against, at times, overwhelming odds.

"This squad continues to love a contest and continues to push and give all they have," Lamb said.

"The game was very physical and I thought as a team we really held strong and played with poise and skill."

Even though the Bulldogs had the game under control the Rovers still managed to score in double figures each quarter and reduced the margin for each term as the game wore on.

Lamb tried multiple players and combinations to reduce the impact of the Bulldogs key scorers, Molly Morlan and Abbey Bloye, but the pair still dominated under the ring scoring 42 and 23 goals respectively.

"They are really hard to stop and are so accurate with ball in hand," Lamb said.

"Lily Palmer threw everything at the Bulldogs attack line and won plenty of ball, Ellie Miller was error free and skillful threw our midcourt and Lara Judd just never stopped trying and applying defensive pressure."

Rovers will welcome a home game this weekend taking on the winless Albury.