ALBURY’S ability to kick quick goals has torpedoed Wodonga Raiders out of the top five.
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The Tigers' stars proved the difference against a gritty, but out-gunned, home team in the 10.8 (68) to 6.9 (45) win.
But Albury's Morris Medallist Joel Mackie was reported for allegedly striking Connor Newnham in the second quarter.
Newnham finished the match with a suspected broken nose.
"He let the team down. We had to play a man short for 15 minutes, so we had a word to him at half-time, told him to make an impact when he came back on, and I thought he did that really well," Tigers co-coach Shaun Daly said.
Raiders debutante Floyd Bollinghaus landed a goal with his first kick, before the Tigers booted three in five minutes, including a superb 50m running effort by Chris Hyde, while Josh Mellington landed the first of the eight needed for his century.
Raiders kicked five points with a strong, but tricky, breeze in the first four minutes of the second term, before Adam Flagg was gifted a simple mark by poor defence.
Albury's Setanta O'hAilpin landed one of his four, but with Mackie off the ground, Flagg and Bollinghaus added majors as Albury trailed for the first time at the long break, by 10 points.
However, O'hAilpin booted two within three minutes after the break, celebrating in typical style, and Raiders never regained the lead.
"They can just open you up, because they've got so much class," Raiders coach Daryn Cresswell said.
"I thought Brayden O'Hara really got away from us, I thought he was outstanding, I thought Luke Packer off half-back was brilliant, just their key players really stood up in moments when needed."
Albury then kicked two goals in 68 seconds at the start of the final term, to the scoreboard end, where only two majors had been kicked in three quarters.
'We've got a lot of good leaders out there on the field that even if they're down for a quarter or two, they can bob up and really make an impact for five or 10 minutes, and I thought that's what happened today," Daly said.
Mellington was well held by Dean Giles, kicking only two goals to take his season tally to 94.
The Tigers now have a stunning 20-point lead over second-placed Lavington, while Raiders have fallen to sixth with three matches remaining.