Nathalia, charged with plenty of ex-Goulburn Valley League talent, was on the back foot early against a Jessie Barnes-Hill-led Rumba as the hosting outfit held a 17-8 lead at the first switch of ends.
The following quarter saw Rumbalara shoot the lights out as a 20-goal injection pushed the Purples further behind with a deficit of 20 to make up.
Nathalia’s 14 goals in the third term proved to be its best 15-minute period beneath the ring, yet Rumba kept the heat on with 12 of their own to make the last quarter a foregone conclusion.
As the hooter sounded, Jess Bamblett’s side retained its eight-point cushion at the summit despite a trio of premiership challengers each picking up wins.
Tongala, one of those teams, claimed a 58-33 victory over Congupna to keep pace with second-placed Moama and third-ranked Finley.
The Magpies had a day out on home court against Cobram, winning 75-28, while the Cats scored a 64-36 result over a spiralling Echuca United contingent.
Eagles coach Tanner Edwards deemed the result “a bit of a tough one”, paying credit to a strong Finley unit that has only dropped two games this season.
“Obviously we knew coming in Finley was a quality side,” she said.
“They've been able to knock over some of those higher teams up there as well, so we knew it was going to be a hard match coming in.
“(We had a) bit of a rough start (to) the game, that put us on the back foot coming into that second half.
“In saying that the girls were a lot better in that second half and we were able to convert on the scoreboard a little bit more, but unfortunately especially against quality sides we can't afford to have a slow start.”
In the round’s other matches, Deniliquin vaulted into fifth spot thanks to a 26-goal upending of Numurkah, while Mulwala easily accounted for Barooga 64-20.