Tallangatta was boosted by the arrival of former Yackandandah playing coach Anna Beirs in a surprise appearance at Rowen Park on Saturday.
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The Hoppers utilised a strong start to their advantage to get the better of the Bulldogs 44-39 in a high intensity clash.
Beirs had originally been reappointed as the Roos' coach for 2024, but stood aside at the start of the season due to family commitments.
She returned to the Tallangatta League stage in a fill-in capacity in the absence of star Hopper Hannah Dwyer.
"We'd been talking to her from the start of the year, but she's not long had a baby," Tallangatta coach Liona Edwards said.
"We messaged her again this week and said Hannah was away, how about a game in goals? She said she would fill in.
"At this stage it was just as a fill-in.
"She obviously helped today with giving us a bit more patience down in the attack end."
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Hoppers, with defender Renee Page suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter, however she later returned to the court.
Hannah Pole shot 24 goals, while Beirs landed 17.
Mardi Nicholson led the way for the Bulldogs with 24 goals, while Eliza Abbott worked tirelessly in the midcourt.
The victory sees the Hopper ascend within the top five.
"We've thought that we're a top three team all year, so I think to beat them, it shows the others that we are," Edwards said.
