INGLEWOOD came home with an unforgiving wind that sent the football floating across the face of goal for four quarters.
Kicks for goals that would normally have been set shots were pushed back by the strength of winds blowing to the Bendigo end.
Maiden Gully, dominant early, kicked just one behind in the final term - the very margin that brought victory.
It took Inglewood more than a half of football to adjust to the conditions. By then, Maiden Gully had dominated play, held the home side scoreless in the opening term and was ready to hold on for its first official win of the Loddon Valley season.
The second half saw each side kick seven behinds. Maiden Gully found goal-front accuracy twice, Inglewood lifted with skipper Daniel Polack, Will Allen, Love and Keylan Payne kicking majors.
When Polack lined up for his third goal late in the fourth quarter, the Blues had hope of snatching victory on a torrid day. He was offline and the Eagles home by a point.
Until that main break, youngster Lachie Harris had been the only goalkicker for the Blues, his success coming late in the second term after a free kick in front of goal.
Inglewood had opportunities in that quarter, kicking with the wind, but was wayward and short. Both sides were frustrated when kicking out from minor scores - the ball often floating so offline the boundary umpires were constantly blowing whistles to award free kicks. Inglewood at one stage kicked four behinds in as many minutes and finished the quarter with eight notches on the ledger.
But the real damage for Inglewood came in the opening quarter. Maiden Gully created and read the play with better smarts, going the big tap from centre bounces, hitting on down the ground and waiting for an early drop of the ball.
An early snap goal off the boot of Strauch were followed by  Franzini, Crisp and Montfries finding accuracy in between a constant barrage of behinds.
Inglewood had leadership from coach Fergus Payne and skipper Polack, only to see efforts to go deep into the forward 50 thwarted by Worsley, Witham and Pridgeon.
Monfries was dynamite across the midfield in that opening term and proved crucial to the Eagles setting up victory. 
Maiden Gully lost Brown with a possible shoulder injury mid-way through the first quarter and later had Montfries hobble from the ground with a hamstring injury.
The loss effectively dashes any remaining hopes Inglewood had of playing finals. 
For Maiden Gully, it was its fourth win and the first to earn premiership points after starting the season 12 down when the league took action for the Eagles failing to field an under 18 side for a third season
- CHRIS EARL