Ultima will enter this year’s Golden Rivers finals series as red-hot favourites following their 13-point win over second-placed Moulamein on Saturday.
It was the Roos’ third win of the season against last year’s grand finalists, and they sit comfortably on top of the ladder with just two rounds left to play.
The 11.14 (80) to 10.7 (67) result also sees third-placed Hay close the gap to just one win on Moulamein, but the Swans play the bottom two teams Wandella and Murrabit in the last two rounds.
After Moulamein led at quarter-time, Ultima dominated the second term but failed to put the Swans away, kicking a wasteful 2.5 for the quarter.
Moulamein owned the third quarter, kicking four goals to lead by 11 points, despite having key players Heath Moloney and Beau Duggan-Hulands sent from the field.
With the match on the line, Ultima coach Kyle Symons implored his players to lift at the last break, and was pleased with the response.
“They (Moulamein) were on top, so it was good for the boys to stand up and fight back,” Symons said.
“We just weren’t getting our hands on the ball.
“Jake Foster and Caillum Brady across half back started to get their hands on it and started setting up some play and we were able to run them off their legs as a result.
“We just tried to stay calm because we knew our best footy would be good enough to overrun them, but we just needed to get our hands on the ball because they just starved us of it.”
Along with Foster and Brady, the Roos were well served by Sam Coffey, who was switched into defence after Jamie Nicholas left the field with a shoulder injury.
Ryan Devereux marked his return from injury with three goals, while the consistent Mitchell Seton-Stewart, Tom Bull and Zac Cattlin were also among Ultima’s better players.
For the Swans, Mason Bailey off half back found plenty of the ball, while Luke Shannon, Blake Azzopardi, Amos Farrell and Morgan Turvey all played well.
Macorna effectively locked away a top four finish on the weekend, defeating bottom side Murrabit by 55 points.
The Tigers blew the Blues away with a commanding eight-goal final term, turning a 12-point lead at the final break into a 16.11 (107) to 8.4 (52) victory.
Nick Ingleton returned from injury with a best on ground performance, with Shaun Haffenden, Josh Cameron and Hunter Anset, who finished with three goals along with Lachlan Ritchie, were among the Tigers better players.
Murrabit’s Damian Cupido solidified his position as the Golden Rivers leading goal kicker with another four-goal haul, with Nathan O’Toole, Cooper Williams and Michael Grant the best for the Blues.
A goal kicking clinic from Hay’s Declan Watson and Jensen Hargreaves helped the Lions to a dominant 94-point away win over a disappointing Wandella.
Watson finished with seven goals, while Hargreaves kicked six as the Lions ran away comfortable 20.7 (127) to 4.9 (33) winners.
It continued a disappointing season for the Bombers, who started the season as one of the premiership favourites, but have returned just three wins from their 14 games.
