Wangaratta Rovers hold on to defeat Lavington by six points in tough conditions

The Rovers led by three-goals at the final break and held on to win 9.7 (61) to 6.19 (55), with the Panthers left to rue some inaccurate kicking at goal.

Rovers' prime movers Sam Murray and Brodie Filo were instrumental in the win, with coach Murray dominating in a sweeping role down back and Filo clean through the midfield in muddy, slippery conditions.

It was a gutsy performance from the Panthers who came back from an 11-point deficit early in the game to tie the scores in the third quarter, before falling just short of reeling in another lead after Rover Tom Boyd (two goals) extended the margin to 21 points early in the final term.

The Panthers had a bunch of difficult, flying shots at goals in the last term but also missed some set shots in a quarter which saw the home side add 2.6 from about 80 per cent forward-half possession, with Rovers adding one straight.

"We knew they were going to come. We probably had an opportunity to close it off a little earlier but credit to them, they gave everything and they missed a couple of opportunities late that would have been a good opportunity for them," Murray said.

Running defender Will Nolan was another crucial component for the Rovers while Alex Marklew (three goals) just got the points in a fantastic battle against Panther Jonathon Spina, who was still able to repel a lot of attacks.

Panther Ewan Mackinlay (two goals) was a star in the midfield despite missing one of those last-quarter set shots while Billy Glanville (one goal) was lively up forward all day.

But the early midfield ascendancy, and the clinical finishing from forwards Marklew and Boyd, as well as a big third-quarter bomb from outside 50m by Filo, were the difference.

"Days like this, they're scrappy, you don't get a lot of clean footy. I think today suits them a lot more than it suits us, and for us to fight out a win was really good," Murray said.

"You look at their midfield, [Tom] Hargreave and Ewan Mackinlay ... they've got some really good inside players and we're definitely more structured as an outside midfield, and they were able to fight back through that, credit to them.

"It was a tough day to get a lot of ascendancy but we fought it out, which was good."

The loss leaves Lavington two games and percentage out of the five, but they have a game in hand on fifth-placed Wodonga.

Lavington's kicking woes started in the first quarter, where they kicked 0.5 to Rovers' 2.3, although they were battling a wind which saw a vast majority of the scoring happen at the eastern end.

In contrast, Rover Boyd was able to nail a checkside effort on the run.

The misty-rain started to come early in the second but Mackinlay was able to nail a right-foot shot on the move from the right-boundary to get the Panthers moving.

Marklew got his first soon after before Glanville replied via a set shot and skipper Hargreave added another with a neat running finish to narrow the Rovers' lead to four points at the half-time break.

Some early misses to Lavington in the third where compounded when Filo unleashed his monster from an outside-50 set shot, running the arc for distance and drawing it right-to-left and through the middle.

Set-shot misses to Glanville and Shaun Driscoll (after a big contested mark) hurt more when Rover Dylan Wilson snapped truly from 25m and Alex McCarthy added another to open up the three-quarter-time break.

In the last quarter Tim Hanna, who had a great ruck duel against Toby Murray and Shane Gaston, was an unlikely figure to find the big-sticks in the scramble but the Rovers finally exited the ball from the crowded Panthers end and held it forward for the final moments to secure the win.

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Murray said the result set the side up for an exciting run home after an up and down season.

"We're now equal-third again and I don't think many people probably expected that. We know where we are, we don't look too much into it," he said.

"We've beaten Maggies, we've beaten Yarra - we've beaten the top sides but we've lost to some sides that aren't having as good years and that consistency is one thing we're trying to find.

"We know going into next week (against Myrtleford) we play really well at home and I think we've got a double-bye after that. So it sets us up, and it's going to be a really good end to the season."

Marklew came off the ground in the last quarter with an ankle injury and will be in doubt for next week while under-18 Rover Justin Lewis (one goal), who crossed from Corowa-Rutherglen in the offseason, left the game early with a concussion.

Murray had 33 possessions and was particularly influential in the first-half with some goal-saving marks and spoils.

"I'm really lucky to have a lot of good players around me that play roles, and it allows me to play more of an aggressive, attacking game," he said.

"I'm blessed that I have Jace McQuade and Paddy Murray and Paddy McNamara who just locked down today and did their thing which gives me an opportunity to impact in the air."

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