MITTA put a major dent in Beechworth’s slim finals hopes with an impressive 37-point win on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bushrangers were tied on seven wins with Dederang-Mt Beauty and Rutherglen heading into round 14, needing to spring a big upset on the road to keep the finals door open.
Now three games clear of the trailing trio with four matches remaining, the Mountain Men are more than likely to snap up the fifth finals spot after their convincing 20.13 (133) to 14.11 (95) win.
Led by a seven goal haul from Drew Cameron and five from Daniel Stewart, Mitta put the foot down after being outscored in the first quarter.
They booted six goals to one after the first change and led by 27 points at the main break.
Another six goals to four after the half made the job easy heading into the last quarter, a stalemate with both sides booting four.
Craig Lieschke continued a purple patch of form, dominating the contest and booting two goals of his own, while Jackson Ellis and Joel Wilson also offered good support.
For Beechworth, Josh Garland, Gareth Pritchard, Riley Petts and Ethan Carey each booted two majors in a high-scoring contest.
Thomas Cartledge and Ryan Mee were also among the Bushies’ best.
Both Dederang and Rutherglen also lost to top five teams Tallangatta and Kiewa-Sandy Creek respectively, putting similar dents in their finals hopes.
The Hoppers and Bombers engaged in something of an arm wrestle, but it was Tallangatta who were able to keep the visitors at arms length for most of the afternoon to bank a 34-point win.
Thomas Johnson booted six majors and Andrew Dear four as the Hoppers kept their case for third place alive.
Kiewa-Sandy Creek easily accounted for Rutherglen, putting the game to bed by half time by booting 10 goals to four before the main break.
Jack Di Mizio, Max Tittensor, Josh Bartel and Jack Andrew all booted three goals in a convincing display from the aspiring grand finalists.
All top five teams came away with a win, with the only winning side outside the finals, Yackandandah, easily accounting for the Wodonga Saints.
The remaining four rounds will now see the top five jostling for position in the final month of the season, with the Hawks and Barnawartha locked in a tight contest for the minor premiership after registering big wins.
Thurgoona are also a chance to throw their hat into the minor premiership ring, pending the outcome of the remaining four matches.
After their 12-goal thumping of Wahgunyah, the Bulldogs are just one game behind Kiewa and Barnawartha.
