Claire Mahoney put Patties in front in the opening half when she pounced on a moment of hesitation from the Melrose defence.

The experienced Raq Vogel made it 2-0 early in the second half, before young gun Tess Spry produced a nice finish to take her side to a 3-0 lead.

Melinda Wilson pulled one back for Melrose with virtually the last kick of the game, but it was Patties who continued their climb up the ladder.

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"They've definitely improved dramatically since the start of the season and they're a dangerous side," St Pats' co-coach Brett Easton said.

"We were lucky we put away the chances we had and our scrambling defence was pretty good when they put us under pressure."

Easton said the side is building for finals and not getting caught up in the hype, with a great mix of youth and experience on display.

"Tess Spry scored our third goal and she's a player who has come up through the 16s, started in reserves and is now a starting senior player," Easton said.

"To balance that out, the second goal was from Raq Vogel, who is the oldest player in the team."

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