The problem with being on top of the ladder is everyone’s gunning for you.

After nine rounds of competition, Wangaratta Rovers remain on top of the charts and undefeated in senior football, on an 18-game winning streak which stretches back to round 11 last year.

There’s a lot to like about what the Rovers are doing, but when you’re at the top, you can only maintain the startling success, or drop off.

It’s a situation the club is negotiating extremely well.

Football operations manager Mario Antonello said they were working hard to keep a lid on their success and not get too far ahead of themselves.

“You always have those games and those times that bring you back down level,” he said.

“We were very lucky a few weeks ago, we switched off against Albury Tigers and just scraped through, and every time we play the Maggies it’s a very tight game, there was only a couple of points in it.

“You certainly don’t sit there thinking you’re better than everybody else because there are other teams who have got just as good a list as we have.

“Our biggest strength is we know teams can go with us and match us for a certain period, but whether they can do it for four quarters is a different realm altogether.

“We’re just confident, we stick with the game plan and run it for four quarters or as long as we can, knowing we’re always a chance.”

The Rovers’ ability to consistently win over the years is in large parts thanks to the long-term stability of their impressive list.

“The list turnover’s been really minimal, it’s only been one or two out, one or two in,” Antonello said.

“The core nucleus of the group we’ve got now have played in that very first premiership against Yarrawonga.

“It really helps with planning, everybody knows their roles, there’s no trying to feel each other out, we don’t wait to warm up for the year to see how guys work together because they’ve played together for so long.

“We’re really lucky, Sam Murray is a fantastic coach, I’d struggle to think there are many better coaches than Sam in any competition outside of a state league.

“He knows the game so well, he’s always looking to improve, and he’s got such a great rapport with the players and the players want to play for him.”

The Rovers will face a challenge this weekend when they host Myrtleford, with the Saints eager for a response after back-to-back losses in recent weeks.

It will be a battle of the big boys in many ways, with Rovers’ Ed Dayman and Will Christie in sparkling form, coming up against Myrtleford tall Riley Smith.

“It should be a really good game, we’re looking forward to it,” Antonello said.

“They’re sitting third on the ladder at the moment, so we get a chance at a side we probably would meet come finals - it’s a good test for us.

“Ed Dayman’s found some really good form, Will Christie’s been one of the more prominent forwards of the competition, Coops [Nathan Cooper] is there kicking four or five a week and is really hard to match up on.

“They’ve got plenty of weapons in their attack as well, so it should be a cracking game.”

The Rovers are at home this Saturday against Myrtleford.

Meanwhile, the Magpies head up to Martin Park to take on a red-hot Wodonga outfit.