LAHARUM saw off Swifts in trying conditions at Cameron Oval on Saturday to cement its place atop the ladder.

It wasn’t a pretty match by any measure, with heavy rain holding the sides to a combined 27 points after half-time.

But the Mountain Men faithful could not care less as they celebrated a fifth consecutive win to open the season.

The Baggies were up early and ready to challenge the reigning premier.

Both teams had five scoring shots in the opening term, but the Baggies managed 2.3, while Laharum’s 4.1 gave it the early advantage.

The Mountain Men kicked away with three goals to zero in the second term as sodden conditions started to limit scoring.

Only four goals were kicked after half-time – two by the Mountain Men and two by the Baggies.

The final score was Laharum 9.7 (61) to Swifts 4.6 (30).

Daniel Easson again showed why he was a rising star of the competition with a sterling performance in the wet.

Coach Shannon Argall said Easson and Matthew Velthuis – another Laharum young gun – led the way.

“It’s funny because you’d think it would be the bigger bodies who would step up and dominate in wet weather footy, but they were outstanding,” he said.

“If you had said to me at the start of the day that we’d end up with a five-goal win in wet conditions, I would happily have taken that.”

Argall said Swifts were a genuine top-three threat after the performance.

The Baggies were given plenty of drive in the middle of the ground by trio Scott Carey, Jake Goodes and Sean Mantell.

Ruckman Matt Healy was also among the best performers.

Swifts co-coach Paul Hanns said his team had played well, but not well enough to win the match.

“It became a real arm wrestle, but Laharum’s will to work for their teammates and stick to their structures proved to be the difference,” he said.

“Our midfielders worked really hard, just a lot of the time were outnumbered.

“We had too many passengers on the day and you’re never going to beat a good team unless everyone is working hard.”