After leading the Demons by 11 points at quarter time, injury took hold of the Pumas, with coach Jacob Hamilton (shoulder) going down halfway through the second term and unable to take any further part, while co-captain Luke Thomas (knee) also finished the match on the bench.

"That meant we had a few guys going through the rotations and they probably didn't have a heap of experiencing playing in those positions," Hamilton said.

"They still did well having said that.

"We were very disappointed with the result, but they were quite a handy side. It was kudos to them, they really wanted to win more.

"I can't make excuses, but we were a bit unmanned with the injuries we had and four guys already out of our senior side."

Lismore/Derrinallum kicked eight goals to Moyston/Willaura’s two during the second term to turn a quarter time deficit into a 26-point halftime buffer.

The Demons should have further increased that lead after the main break, but missed six straight shots on goal.

The home side regrouped for the final quarter and again outscored the Pumas six goals to four, seeing them claim an upset 37-point victory — 17.13 (115) to 11.12 (78).

Hamilton said co-captain Matt Peel was a clear best on ground performer for his side.

“Peely just stood up all game and played four great quarters,” he said.

“Because the rotations were down, he had to really stand up as a centreman and take control, which he did.

“Adam Taylor was also important in and under, getting handballs out all day. Riley (Hamilton) on the wing also tried hard all match too.

“They were the three guys that stood out for me.”

Moyston/Willaura’s loss is Tatyoon’s gain, with the Hawks moving to the top of the ladder after their third straight win of the season — this time by 122 points against Caramut.

The Swans matched it with the visitors during the opening quarter, but it was Tatyoon that gained the ascendancy courtesy of some solid work by onballers Damian Cameron, Tim McDougall and Richard Tucker.

A six goal to one second term helped the Hawks to a 53-point lead at halftime, which grew to 89 points by the final change.

Tatyoon continued to finish strongly, with Steven Butler completely dominating inside-50 to end the match with eight majors. Cameron was next best on four, while Sam Thomson (2) was also a multiple goal kicker.

Pat Willmore rounded out the Hawks’ top six performers in the 25.19 (169) to 7.5 (47) win.

Great Western celebrated its first win of the season, with the Lions winning the RSL Anzac Trophy over a much more competitive Ararat Eagles’ line-up.

The Eagles stuck with their opponent during the first quarter as experienced players Nathan Wemyss, Lewis Baker and Justin Coole found good support from Joey Dukic and Jordan Thomas.

The Lions drew away during the second term, with onballers BJ Burton, Aaron Williams and Mitch Hoare making the most of ruckman Shannon Notting’s dominance in the air.

Great Western held sway by 35 points at the main break, before finishing the stronger of the two teams in the second half to almost double that winning margin — 15.17 (107) to 5.11 (41).

Wickliffe/Lake Bolac has also opened its account for season 2015 with a strong showing against Woorndoo/Mortlake, which resulted in a 34-point win.

In a tight first quarter, the Magpies led narrowly by a goal before putting the pedal down in the second term to race away to a 37-point halftime buffer.

Midfielder Jock Cameron made it a hat-trick of best on ground performances, with the classy recruit seeing plenty of action. Tom Gibson, Lachie Kelly and Michael Otto provided good support.

The Tigers managed to out score their opposition in the third term, however Wickliffe/Lake Bolac still held a 31-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter and managed to maintain that gap as the match drew to a close.

William Warner was named among the Magpies’ best, along with Edward Guthrie who was one of the team’s seven goal kickers.

SM&W Rovers fell behind against Glenthompson/Dunkeld after quarter time and wasn’t able to make up ground as the second half progressed.

Defender Brad Scott was again one of the Bulldogs’ top contributors, with fellow backmen Tom Madden and Shaun Liston doing their best to restrict the Rams’ scoring.

Rovers matched it with their opponent during the third term, but faced a 17-point deficit at the final break.

Despite the best efforts of Tom Thewlis, Jahn Knight and Tim Cleeland, a goalless last quarter saw the Bulldogs go down by 32 points — 11.8 (74) to 6.6 (42).