by Nicholas Duck
Warragul have been outclassed at home by a tough and uncompromising Maffra side in what was another disappointing result for the Gulls.
Following their first win of the season over Traralgon, the loss was Warragul's third in a row by 40 points or more as they fell 9.13 (67) to 17.8 (110).
Jed Lamb was once again the star up forward for the Gulls with six goals, but it was a familiar story for the side in finding just three goals from the rest of their 22.
The difference in forward line depth was stark, as Warragul had just four individual goalkickers to Maffra's eight.
The ever-reliable Daniel Bedggood was, as expected, the primary target for the Eagles and ended up with six goals of his own to match Lamb's efforts.
Outside of Lamb, Nicholas Mulqueen and Brayden Fowler were solid between the arcs for Warragul, while the ruck tandem of Michell Smart and Sam Whibley put in another good display to show why they are collectively one of the Gulls' biggest weapons.
Despite this, Warragul just struggled to match prowess of the Eagles, who showed that rumours of their demise may have greatly exaggerated.
Dylan Alexander put in his best performance for the season in a show of his strong development, while the usual suspects of Kade Renooy and Hudson Holmes will be among the votes yet again for Maffra.
Maffra burst out of the gates quickly in the first term, booting the first three goals of the game to put the Gulls on the back foot early.
Warragul would counter with two goals of their own as the game started to look more on their terms, though they conceded a late one to go into quarter time 13 points down.
A relatively early Gulls goal in the second term and it appeared like it was game on. But, from that point, the visitors would get on a run, finding themselves eight goals to three up before Warragul could find another.
Even then, Maffra would once again kick the final goal of the term to ensure the Gulls couldn't build any sort of momentum.
Despite the Gulls' efforts, the highly experienced core at the heart of Maffra's side did what they have so often done over the course of the last decade and took over, outmuscling their younger and smaller opponents.
Warragul at this stage were struggling to take marks to get the ball moving with any sort of purpose, and were found wanting when the ball hit the deck as the Eagles displayed their contested ball prowess.
By half time, the margin was out to 30 points and looking like a mountain that would be too high for the home side to climb.
At the start of the third quarter things continued where they had left off. Maffra bullied Warragul around the ball while putting their forward entries to good use thanks to Bedggood's supreme marking ability.
By contrast, whenever Warragul went forward it was a familiar tale. Outside of when they targeted Lamb, there just weren't easy avenues to goal.
Make no mistake, Lamb is a spectacular player and the way he is able to make defenders, even those with a significant height advantage, worry and make mistakes is truly something to watch. But, for as good as he is, he can't do it all himself, and it appears other teams have realised this.
So while Lamb put on another show with his bag of goals, the Eagles would have been satisfied with their defensive efforts to keep the other Warragul forwards quiet.
Two more Maffra goals allowed them to built on their lead in the third, and despite Warragul kicking one to break up this run, the Eagles countered with a further two to push the margin out to an insurmountable 50-point lead at the final change of ends.
By the fourth quarter, it was clear Maffra had decided to take their foot off the pedal, though in fairness the Gulls had clearly decided not to just roll over.
Warragul actually dominated large periods of the fourth quarter, though were wasteful with their chances as they kicked 4.7 while Maffra, despite their relative lack of chances, used them effectively to kick four straight and keep the Gulls at bay.
Regardless of their inaccuracy in front of goal, it was clearly the best Warragul played for the day, as their ability to generate scoring shots was just about the best they've had in weeks.
It leaves Warragul with at least something to take out of the match, even though they would be disappointed with the game as a whole.
On paper, given Maffra's stumbles this year and Warragul's general improvement, this had loomed as a potential chance for the Gulls to add another scalp to their list.
In reality though, the Eagles showed that while they may not be among the best anymore, they are still a more than capable team.
Warragul will now turn their attention to next week as they travel to Bairnsdale to play the bottom placed Redlegs in what will be a golden opportunity to claim their second win of the season.
Maffra will play at home to Traralgon as they look to cause an upset and push back into the top five.
Jed Lamb, Nicholas Mulqueen, Brayden Fowler, Mitchell Smart, Brad Hefford, James Davidson were named as Warragul's best players.
Dylan Alexander, Daniel Bedggood, Kade Renooy, Josh Davis, Hudson Holmes and Henry Anderson were all strong for Maffra.