One of the WFNL's in-form sides coming into round 15, thanks to wins over Stawell, the Giants and Dimboola, the Saints looked rusty early as the Ararat Rats jumped out of the gates and surged to an early lead.

Rats coach Matt Walder said he was delighted with his team's performance.

"We're certainly proud of the way we ran today and the way we competed," he said.

"We won the crucial times of the game early on, and showed grit and determination to hold off the Saints at the end as well.

The Rats led by 12 points at the first break, 19 points at half time before the Saints rallied to win the third term.

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However, the damage had been done as the Rats held on to win, 9.6 (60) to 7.5 (47) - holding the Saints goalless in the final term.

Ararat forward Nicholas Oliver was likely the difference as he bagged five majors in wet conditions, while Kade Bohner was resolute in defence for the Rats and Henry Shea toiled across the ground.

The Rats have now beaten the Saints twice this year, having been the underdog on both occasions.

"It's a funny one... Ararat has been the Saints' bogey team for a few years," Walder said.

"At the end of the day, they've all been closely fought games. We've had to fight to the death, because they came hard in those games.

"It was a big step forward for the young team."

Although the Rats won't be going deep into September, Walder believes the win holds them in great stead going into the final few games of the season.

"It's all about leaving a legacy in 2021 and finishing what we started. We're driven to compete in the last few games we've got and set up a good standing for next year," he said.

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The win keeps the Rats in seventh-place on the ladder, with four wins for the season, and they will be hoping for their fifth when they host Nhill in round 16.

13 was also the order of the day with the Rats netballers scoring a big win on Saturday, completing a 13 goal-win over the Saints.

The two sides were locked in a close fight with just two goals, separating the squads at the half-time break.

But the Rats turned up the heat in the third term, with a 17-10 quarter enough to break the game open.

Racquel Scott and Tayla Borrelli were two of the Rats best players on the day with Delaney McLoughlan bagging 37 goals on the day.

It was the Rats' fourth win of the season, who now sit just four points behind the Horsham Saints.

Much like the footballers, the Rats will be hoping to continue on their winning form with a match-up against the winless Nhill.

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