Gallery | Two finals contenders battle it out in round nine KDL

In sunny conditions at Tallygaroopna Recreation Reserve, the Lakers got off to a bright start away from home, taking a five-point lead into the first break.

However, an inaccurate second quarter from Nagambie (0.5) gave Tally the lead at half-time (27-24).

Neither side could break away from the other with the contest remaining tight all day.

With one quarter remaining and a three-point lead in hand (54-57), Lakers coach Harley Taylor-Lloyd was confident that his side would see the game out.

“I probably say it most weeks, but we think our best footy is up there with the best teams, so we just have to stick with our structures,” he said.

“Our lapse through the day was that we were just giving them easy kicks, so I was really strong (at three-quarter time) on manning up that loose kick.

“They were exiting their 50 and we were probably zoning off more; we like to play man-on-man, but we fell into that trap of manning off.

“Once we executed that man-on-man defence, we were able to get more pressure on the ball carrier, and that made them turn it over across our half-back, and we were able to slingshot into our forward line.”

The Lakers took control of the match in the final quarter, with Taylor-Lloyd believing that his midfield group’s ability to gain ascendancy over Tally’s was the difference.

“In the last quarter, the midfield really flexed — as this generation calls it — they flexed their muscles,” he said.

“That was Jon Moore, Rielly Old, Blake Fothergill; they were super as they wore down the big Tally ruckman (Rhys Bucktin), which was probably the difference.

“Once that big fellow got tired, our midfield started to get on top in there.

“I think we would have kicked three goals from clean exiting the centre bounce.”

Nagambie won the match by 14 points (62-76) and moved into fifth spot on the ladder, while Tally now sits in seventh.

Lakers’ Mitch Lusted and Mark Wilson both snagged three goals, while Tally’s Brent Arho and Adam Brophy also kicked three majors each.

Gun Goulburn Valley League recruit Ben Tarran received best-on-ground honours for Nagambie, with Taylor-Lloyd believing the defender is starting to emerge as a top-line player.

“Ben Tarran across half-back was super,” he said.

“He is a great leader, so we have been lucky to get him from Seymour and he is starting to really hit his straps as that half-back or third tall defender.

“We are just starting to hit some good form; it was definitely a fifth versus seventh game as it was close all day.

“They are well coached by (Daniel) ‘Clarkey’, so it was really good to be on the right side of the 14-point win.”

In other round nine matches, Dookie United staved off a fast-finishing Longwood.

United led by 22 points at half-time before the Redlegs came storming home, just falling short (63-57).

Two of the league’s premier key forwards had days to remember, with Shepparton East’s Jake Sutherland booting 15 goals in the Eagles’ 253-point win over Violet Town.

Meanwhile, Murchison-Toolamba’s James Lloyd, not to be outdone by Sutherland’s efforts, kicked 19 goals in his side’s 161-point victory over Undera.

Lloyd’s season tally now sits on 88 goals from nine games, and if his form is anything to go by, he could crack the 100 by half-time this week.

Lancaster continued its ominous form with a 120-point win over Girgarre away from home.

Stanhope defeated Rushworth by 61 points, while Avenel secured its seventh win of the season with a 56-point victory over Merrigum.