The footballing side of things was markedly more straightforward, with Katandra promptly moving to 9-0 in a 91-point rout of an underwhelming Tungamah.
The 19.15 (129) to 5.8 (38) result came through solid hauls for Josh Kezerle (five goals), Ryleigh Shannon and Tom Jeffery (four each) as the Kats piled on six unanswered goals in the first term to leave little doubt.
While Tungamah is consigned to an under-par 4-6 record and 11th place on the table, the Kats purr once more and consolidate their ladder-leading perfect record.
Coach Jason Whittaker was thrilled to see his charges constrict an expected finals contender quite so comfortably.
“I think it was a culmination of everything going right on the day,” Whittaker said.
“Our defensive work was outstanding and our mids and forwards all played their roles.
“It was a whole team defence; we try to pride ourselves on being hard to score against and we wanted to support the back six, which worked really well.
“You can never write a side like Tungamah off because they’re always going to be strong and competitive in their contested ball, so we had to withstand what they had and dish out what we’ve got.
“It’s come through a lot of hard work. After half-time, we were down to one on the bench after a couple of our defenders went down, which is why our team defence is so important.”
It’s a system that has reaped rewards in all areas of the ground for Katandra, which not only sits top of the tree, but boasts far and away the most points scored of any club in addition to conceding less than six goals a game.
That said, there’s little time to rejoice as Katamatite, which enjoyed a bye at the weekend, waits on the other side in a blockbuster match-up this week.
“We played Katamatite earlier in the year, but we know they’ll be different this time around,” Whittaker said.
“We just have to prepare and make sure we’re ready for the challenge.
“We’re not relying on any one forward to kick a bag of goals and hopefully that makes us a little bit harder to match up on with that variety.”
It was a comfortable Saturday for the Katandra footballers in all aspects, instead waiting on the Sunday outcome and knowing third-placed Katamatite had the week off.
Elsewhere, though, Katunga emphatically climbed up to seven wins and kept close behind the leading trio after dismissing Deniliquin Rovers to the tune of 69 points.
Picola United moved to a positive ledger at 5-4 with a 9.11 (65) to 6.4 (40) victory over Berrigan, which remains stranded at five wins and remarkably now bears a dead-even percentage.
Mathoura was another five-win side that came in with a chance to keep pressure on the finals spots, but despite a stirring final-quarter rally from 28 points down, Rennie did just enough to hold on and secure an upset with a 9.10 (64) to 9.6 (60) win.
Jerilderie was next to join a crowded pack at 20 points, overcoming some early yips in front of goal to dominate Blighty in the final three quarters and run out a 20.14 (134) to 7.2 (44) winner.
Rounding out Saturday’s action, Tocumwal earned its second win of the season by resigning winless bottom side Yarroweyah to a 10th straight defeat, prevailing 19.10 (124) to 6.6 (42).
In a grand final rematch that turned somewhat fiery at times, Waaia again asserted supremacy over Strathmerton, holding the Bulldogs to one goal in the second half en route to a 10.10 (70) to 5.5 (35) win.
On the courts, the situation was more complicated at the top of the table as the last unbeaten A-grade side finally tasted defeat.
Katunga proved the culprit on a trip over the border, unseating ladder-leaders Deniliquin Rovers in a tight 26-22 contest to throw a spanner in the upper echelon.
Katandra also kept the heat up on the pacesetters by taking care of business against Tungamah, winning 46-30.
Tocumwal, which has won and lost in sequence for more than a month, notched victory number four courtesy of an incredible 81-2 final scoreline at Yarroweyah’s expense.
Eighth-placed Rennie ensured the gap from the competition’s bottom seven blew out after easily accounting for Mathoura by 34 goals, while Picola United ended a lengthy losing run with a 43-20 triumph over Berrigan.
After starting the season 0-6, Jerilderie has now won two of its past four games following its 52-27 victory over Blighty.
Sunday’s encounter at Waaia was a slight boilover as the Bombers prevented Strathmerton from taking advantage of the Rovers’ slip-up by holding on for a 40-38 win, their sixth of the season.
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