Mooroopna has jumped up to second spot on the Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball ladder following a gritty win over Euroa on Saturday.
Euroa was strengthened by the return of playing coach Ellie Warnock and key defender Bridget Hill, however, the classy Cats prevailed by 17 goals at Memorial Oval.
Dayna Williams was impactful at both ends of the court for the Cats, while defender Ella Ogier was a standout performer at goal defence and was deemed best-on for the visitors.
The Magpies’ Karly Wappett shot well and gave the hosts some spark in the first half.
But some changes to Mooroopna’s line-up after the main break, along with Warnock spending time on the bench, lifted the Cats to a 57-40 victory.
Thanks to a shock loss to Shepparton United, the Cats have leapfrogged the Dees with one round left in the season.
“Our number one focus was to get the win today ... we got the four points and we came through without any more injuries,” Mooroopna coach Di Hanslow said.
“It was a hard game and I don’t think the score indicates how close it was.
“It was a bit of a chip away game and then we were able to get a run on.
“It was a good win. I thought our attack end was very calm and consistent and our defence went well with both combinations.
“They had a lot of work to do because Euroa’s shooters and midcourt work that circle well, they’re dynamic, and create a lot movement so our defenders had to work hard.
With two key cogs on the sidelines, the Cats flirted with different combinations on the court in the round 17 encounter.
Williams spent the first half patrolling the defensive end, while skipper Maddison Wong traded the defensive ring for midcourt duties.
Up by four goals at the main break, Hanslow swung Williams to goal attack, Wong to defence and brought Shelby Britten on into centre.
Hanslow’s daughter Bree provided sublime feed into the attacking circle in the second half.
Speaking after the match, Hanslow said season-ending injuries to two starters in recent weeks had thrown a spanner in the works for her side.
“We’re having to re-adjust our line-up at the moment after we lost Genna (Ogier) and Ash (Lancaster) for the rest of the season,” she said.
“At the moment now we are all about getting our form back and then looking at how we can run the rest of the season out.
Around the courts, Echuca catapulted itself back into flag discussions after the Murray Bombers pulled off an upset.
Echuca pencilled in a 13-goal triumph over premiership contender Shepparton United.
The Murray Bombers got off to a strong start, taking a four-goal lead into the first break, and extended the lead to six at half-time.
A 13-8 premiership quarter allowed Echuca to pull away and chalk up the stunning win.
“We went into the game knowing it was going to be a big challenge for us,” Echuca coach Steph Vick said.
“We need these tough games leading into finals.
“At the end of the day, we’ll need to beat these teams.
“Having that win against United has given us that little bit of confidence that we can do this and that we’re quite capable of matching it.”
Meanwhile, Seymour remains in top spot following its convincing 59-40 win against Tatura.
The Bulldogs came to play in the first term and just one goal separated the two teams at quarter-time.
Seymour went on to score 29-18 in the next two quarters, before a class 17-10 finish in the last term.
Olivia Barry stood out for the Lions, while Steph Smith-Gorrie and Elsie Boyer were Tatura’s two standouts.
In other matches, Kyabram defeated Mansfield 51-38 to chalk up its fifth win and Shepparton secured a finals berth following a heart-stopping win over Benalla.
The Bears held off Benalla in a thriller to record a 53-51 triumph on Sunday afternoon.