It’s one of the most exciting matchups on the fixture, and if their past clashes and form this season are any indication, strap yourself in for an instant classic – the Saints are coming to town.

Wangaratta Magpies host Myrtleford in the game of the round in Ovens and Murray senior football, with the showdown at Norm Minns Oval this Saturday going a long way in determining which team has the chops to go deep into finals.

On paper, it’s a dead heat – Myrtleford are currently on top of the ladder and are undefeated in season 2026, but the Magpies’ arsenal is stacked with weapons who are starting to find form.

Add into the mix their most recent meeting in 2025’s preliminary final, which fell the way of the ‘Pies by 15 points and ended Myrtleford’s historic run through September, and there’s a lot on the line on Saturday.

The Magpies announced themselves once more as legitimate finals fancies last weekend, knocking off Yarrawonga by 69 points in seemingly breezy fashion.

Coach Jason Heatley said the pieces were starting to fall into place across the lines.

“I think we’re building slowly, I thought we moved the footy well on the weekend, but there’s still lots of room for improvement,” he said.

“It’s the even contribution, that’s what we’re after.

“People being able to impact and be role-players is really important

“We can have flexibility, we like to look a little bit different depending on what we’re coming up against, so we’re certainly building that depth piece as well.

“There are certainly some positive signs.”

Heatley said the Saints’ team-first mentality was something they’d need to keep an eye on, as well as some of their key play-makers.

“It’s very clear with Myrtleford, their team-first attitude, they have great spread across the ground, they cover the ground really well and they’ve got some really good experience and some up-and-coming youth,” he said.

“We know exactly what we’re going to get on the weekend.

“It’s probably not so much looking to exploit, it’s understanding what they do really well and how we can take some small wins out of that.

“Their good players are going to play well, regardless, so we need to take away from them as much as we possibly can, that’s what we’re pulling apart at the moment.

“We’ll need to play really well, so we know we’ll get effort from Knowlesy [Chris Knowles], we know we’ll get effort from the guys around the footy, we know it’s a completely different look in there.

“[Myrtleford midfielder Jaxon] East is a damn good player, so we’ll have something in mind for him, but it’s unlikely to be an all-out tagging role.”

The ‘Pies host the Saints at the Wangaratta Showgrounds this Saturday, 9 May, with senior football from 2pm, following the reserves at 12pm and the thirds at 10am.

Elsewhere, Wangaratta Rovers will look to continue their flawless start to their title defence when they take on Lavington at the ground where they raised the cup the last two years.

The Panthers are coming off a three-goal loss to the Saints and will be eager to pick up the biggest scalp in the O&M, and they’ve got the guns to do it.

The big Rooster, Tim Oosterhoff, booted five goals last week and almost dragged his side over the line, and will present a challenge for Rovers defenders Nathan Cooper, Jace McQuade and Charles Ledger.

Lavington midfielder William Glanville leads the league in clearances and contested possessions, and will muster his troops against the star-studded Rovers engine room, led by Sam Murray.

Rovers big men Ed Dayman and Will Christie are both enjoying some strong form, while Charlie Thompson, Mitch Hardie and Brodie Filo will no doubt be at their consistent best.

The Rovers take on the Panthers at Lavington Sportsground this Saturday.