Newlyn and Waubra have cleared out at the top of the Central Highlands Football League ladder after important victories on Saturday.
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The Cats produced a sizzling first half to comfortably dispose of Learmonth, while the Roos dug deep to win a thriller against Beaufort by two points.
Those results leave the two sides a game clear of Buninyong, the Crows and Springbank.
Cats stars Adam Sewell, Myles Sewell, Steve Clifton and Dan Wehrung ran riot in the first half to give their side a match-winning 50-point lead at the long break.
The game turned into a dour struggle when the rain hit in the third and fourth terms and the Lakies were only able to trim the final margin to 27 points.
Just down the road at Waubra, the Roos trailed at every change but secured the points with a three-goals-to-two last quarter.
Over at Hepburn, Springbank dealt the reigning premiers a second-straight defeat with an eight-point success, while Skipton clinched its third win of the campaign on Saturday, beating Ballan by a goal.
Other round nine winners were Bungaree, Buninyong, Dunnstown and Gordon.
ROUND 9 RESULTS
Buninyong 13.10 (88) d Creswick 2.8 (20)
Gordon 16.13 (109) d Carngham-Linton 8.7 (55)
Bungaree 15.17 (107) d Clunes 4.7 (31)
Newlyn 13.7 (85) d Learmonth 9.4 (58)
Waubra 7.6 (48) d Beaufort 7.4 (46)
Dunnstown 15.10 (100) d Rokewood-Corindhap 6.6 (42)
Skipton 6.11 (47) d Ballan 6.5 (41)
Springbank 11.8 (74) d Hepburn 9.12 (66)
LADDER
1 Newlyn 199.46 32
2 Waubra 161.03 32
3 Buninyong 207.00 28
4 Beaufort 182.59 28
5 Springbank 116.45 28
6 Bungaree 160.78 24
7 Learmonth 156.84 24
8 Gordon 136.25 24
9 Hepburn 103.12 20
10 Dunnstown 84.25 16
11 Creswick 79.35 16
12 Skipton 54.24 16
13 Daylesford 76.57 12
14 Rokewood-Corindhap 51.43 8
15 Carngham-Linton 51.29 8
16 Ballan 50.31 4
17 Clunes 42.22 4