Darley produced an Anzac Day performance to remember, smashing local rival Bacchus Marsh by 80 points in the Ballarat Football League.
The Devils recovered from a slow start, kicking just one goal in the first term but dominating thereafter.
Picture gallery: Darley v Bacchus Marsh
Darley had 10 individual goal-kickers, and Jake Edwards, Rhys Ellis and Jordan Spiteri finished with multiple majors.
The same couldn’t be said of Bacchus Marsh, which struggled to hit the scoreboard, particularly after half-time.
The Cobras went into the main break with three goals on the board and failed to add to that tally in the third and fourth quarters, kicking just one behind.
Darley committee member Phil Campbell was impressed with the Devils’ effort.
“It was a really tight contest until about half- way through the second quarter,” he said.
“They came out hard and it was really good football. Towards half-time we started to get on top.
On what was a tough day for his side, Tim Hughes worked hard to be named among the Cobras’ best players and continue his strong start to the year.
Hughes was well supported by Steven Shaw, while Thomas Wardell was Bacchus Marsh’s only multiple goal scorer. The result adds further weight to Darley’s case for being one of the most improved sides.
After finishing fourth last year, the Devils looked to have taken their game to another level on the back of two strong wins at the start of the season.
Darley and Redan, the only undefeated sides, will meet this week.
“We know it’s a really long season, but to have started on the right foot is a huge relief for us,” Campbell said.
“We’ve got some interesting games coming up and are really looking forward to playing them with eight points under our belt.
“It’s a lot better position than we were in at the same time last year.”
Meanwhile, Bacchus Marsh is in seventh spot on the ladder with a 1-1 record. The Cobras’ win came against Sebastopol.
In other weekend results, East Point enjoyed a hard-fought victory against Ballarat, Sunbury just edged out Lake Wendouree, and Redan proved too strong for North Ballarat City.
