Rocherlea's rampant run of form went through ladder-leader Longford, winning the Tigers battle 13.11 (89) to 13.4 (82) at home.
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The at-times fiery encounter saw Longford's Luke Murfitt-Cowen kick six but Rocherlea's trio Josh Holton, Dakota Bannister and Brayden Claridge combined for eight and the defence stood tall when it mattered.
Play went back and forth in the first term, seeing Rocherlea hold a three-point advantage as adrenaline and tensions ran hot.
The home-side Tigers turned it on after the break as Josh Ponting assisted two, Holton kicked two and Bannister slotted a freakish boundary-line major to go four goals up.
But Murfitt-Cowen wasn't having it, kicking three himself to swing back the tide - going into the main break 11 points down.
Trading two goals at the start of the third, consecutive Liam Davies-inspired majors and a goal to James Gillow squared up the ledger - shaping for an intriguing last term.
Rocherlea struck first through Holton and was backed up by its defenders before another bit of Bannister boundary-line brilliance saw him get around his opponent and slot one through from an unlikely angle.
Gillow got the away side back in the contest but a goal-square crumb to young gun Bailey Wells, who was consistent all day for the victors, put the icing on the cake and essentially assured the result.
Bannister, Jordan Cousens, skipper Luke Richards and Ponting were superb in the win as Longford big man Sam Luttrell impressed as well as Jaidyn Harris across half-back.
South Launceston got the better of an undermanned Deloraine in umpire Shaun Gleeson's 400th game 16.12 (108) to 8.7 (55).
Victoria's recent COVID-19 lockdown ruled out coach Lochy Dornauf, captain Stan Tyson and James Carpenter but the Kangaroos soldiered on before going down.
Bart McCulloch continued his form with six majors while young gun Tom Beaumont kicked three and was the victors' second-best behind Jordan Tepper.
Tristan Webb and Brodie Donohue kicked two for the 'Roos, with 2020 Latrobe recruits Brayden Butler and Tyler Kelly their best.
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George Town claimed its first win of 2021, defeating Hillwood 11.17 (83) to 9.4 (58).
The Saints trailed by two points at both the first and main breaks but a massive third quarter featuring 10 scoring shots, albeit 4.6, put the Saints in front as Hillwood only managed two points.
The Sharks managed to win the last term by a point but the third-term lapse saw the Saints emerge victorious.
Dylan Burr and Shaun Muller both kicked three in an Anthony Axton three-vote performance while Brad Templar and Jake George booted two for Hillwood as coach Jake Pearce was its best for the second time in three games.
Bridgenorth and Scottsdale played out another single-figure thriller as the Parrots won 13.6 (84) to 12.9 (81).
The Parrots held a 15-point lead going into the last quarter off the back of a five-goal, momentum-swinging second term but the Magpies almost stormed back.
They kicked four in the last to put Bridgenorth under pressure but the Parrots hung on as Rohan Sergeant booted seven majors and Matt Zanetto continued making life hard for the Magpies, who were led by Brady Gee (three) and Ethan Petterwood.
Josh Partridge
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
As a sports-mad fan who loves to remain challenged, sports journalism always seemed the path for me and it's allowed me to do things I never thought possible. A keen racquet sports player, I'm experienced in that field, allowing me to do my job at a strong standard.
