No one said it would be easy.

After a stellar start to the season, Myrtleford have copped back-to-back defeats in the home and away season for the first time since April 2024.

After falling to Wangaratta by 35 points last weekend, the Saints again felt the sting of defeat on their home deck, defeated by Wodonga 8.13 (61) to 11.4 (70) on Saturday.

It took less than a minute for the Saints to open their account through Mitch Dalbosco, but Wodonga were coming.

The Dogs hit back hard through Hudson Garoni, with the livewire forward kicking four goals in the opening term, including one after the siren.

Myrtleford trailed by 23 points at the first break, but fought their way back to within eight points by half-time.

With momentum swinging their way in the start of the second half, the Saints couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard, spraying shots from all angles for minimal reward.

Myrtleford were kept goalless in the third quarter, managing six behinds as the Dogs kicked three straight, heading into the final term with a 20-point advantage.

While the Saints were courageous, coming back hard, they could not overcome the deficit.

Simon Curtis and Ryley Sharp kicked two goals each, while Riley Smith finished as the highest rated Saint on the ground, recording 31 hitouts and 20 disposals.

Matt Munro, Josh Muraca, and Jaxon East were also impactful.

The season doesn’t get any easier from here, with the Saints set to take on reigning premiers and undefeated ladder leaders Wangaratta Rovers on the road this weekend.

While they have matched up well in the past, including handing the Hawks one of their only losses of the year last season, the Rovers have been on a tear, kicking big scores and keeping teams quiet.

In other matches from the weekend, the reserves got up 7.8 (50) to 5.7 (37), while the thirds lost 6.0 (30) to 15.10 (100).

OAK FM votes: Round 9

Myrtleford vs Wodonga: 5 H. Garoni (Wod), 4 A. Jorgensen (Wod), 3 C. Morrison (Wod), 2 J. East (Myrt), 1 M. Dalbosco (Myrt).

Leaderboard: R. Smith (Myrt) 21, J. Gaynor (Alb) 20, W. Wheeler (Yarra) 19.