Mooroopna, with four wins and a percentage of 240.88, leads five teams — Kyabam among them — that have been beaten only once.
The top-of-the-ladder Cats will face Tatura on Saturday in the fifth round, Tatura having registered only the one win — against bottom-of-the-ladder, and winless, Benalla by a single point.
The Cats’ status as a premiership hopeful hasn’t been inked into place just yet, as three of their four wins have come against teams not expected to feature in the finals action. Mooroopna has beaten Shepparton by 53 points, Shepp Swans by 69 points, United by 59 points and then defeated Seymour by 43 points on Saturday.
Seymour has had just the one win, but has probably had the toughest draw of any top-six hopeful. It has faced Mansfield, Euroa and Mooroopna, with its one win coming against Benalla.
This weekend, not only does Mooroopna tackle 10th-placed Tatura, but second-ranked Rochester faces bottom team Benalla and Kyabram (third) is drawn opposite Shepp Swans, who are ninth on the ladder with one win from four games.
Fourth-ranked Echuca is hosting eighth-ranked Seymour, while Mansfield (currently fifth) has an appointment with Shepparton Bears (ranked sixth, and the last of the five teams to have won three games).
Seventh-ranked Euroa has an appointment with 11th-placed Shepparton United.
Kyabram’s start to the season, on results from the opening four rounds, would indicate the Bombers are within sight of a top-four finish.
The Bombers’ 19-point loss to Echuca is as close as any team, including Mansfield, Euroa and Rochester, has gotten to the early flag favourite.
