It was an arm-wrestle at times, with plenty of argy-bargy throughout, but Wangaratta Magpies look to be the goods in 2026 after handing Myrtleford their third first loss of the season in convincing fashion.

Taking to the Showgrounds in front of a bumper crowd, the Magpies blew the game open after quarter time on their way to the 17.9 (111) to 8.12 (60).

The ‘Pies were on fire early through Tyson Young, who kicked the first goal of the match and had five in the opening half.

With less than a kick in it at the first break, the Magpies sensed a moment to strike after Myrtleford’s Nic Ferguson was sent off with a yellow card and reported for an incident involving Wangaratta’s Xavier Laverty, with more than a few players congregating to exchange very terse words.

The Saints, reduced to 17 players on the field, had a hard time managing the Magpies’ impeccable ball movement.

Wangaratta kicked seven goals to one through the second quarter, meaning the home side enjoyed the long break with a 37-point buffer.

Myrtleford came out of the sheds breathing fire, kicking the first three goals of the third term, before Laverty and Brad Melville hit back late with three goals between them.

Another fracas flared up at around seven minutes into the final term, when Laverty copped contact from Myrtleford’s Simon Curtis, who was reported and removed from the game.

After the two camps were separated and play resumed, the Magpies kicked four of the last five goals to seal the result and send a message to the rest of the competition.

Wangaratta coach Jason Heatley said the entire team came together an contributed when called upon.

“It was pretty solid, a bit of an arm-wrestle early,” he said.

“We managed to hit the scoreboard a few times and pulled away as the game went on.

“They had some moments as well, but I thought our contribution was pretty even, but we’ve still got plenty to work on.

“They had their moments when they chained up really well but I think overall we probably took that piece away from them a touch and were able to get our own game going which is more important.”

It was a fitting celebration for Magpie Mathew Grossman in his 200th game in the black and white, a true champion of the club.

Harrison Hewitt impressed, as did Joel Stevens, Michael Bordignon and Chris Knowles.

“It’s great recognition for Mathew in his 200th game, we appreciate Myrtleford coming over and acknowledging that at the end of the game, it was a nice gesture,” Heatley said.

“He was good, Harry [Hewitt] was good, Jackson [Clarke] was good, and Joel’s [Stevens] really starting to work into our system and the way we want to play.

“We’re growing our on-ball division, that’s what we want to do.”

Elsewhere, the Rovers confirmed themselves as capable of any in the competition after overcoming a horror first half to run out 23-point winner over Lavington.

The Rovers were kept goalless in the first term and trailed by a goal at the half, but a dominant back end of the game was enough to deliver them the four points, 13.13 (91) to the Panthers 10.8 (68).

Nathan Cooper was the man up forward, finishing with four goals, while Will Christie (two goals), Jace McQuade, Harry McMonigle and Noah Scholte impressed.

The Rovers (5-0, 149.20 per cent) are now the only undefeated senior football team in the competition, sitting atop the ladder followed by Wangaratta (4-1, 151.19 per cent) and Myrtleford (4-1, 123.10 per cent).