Victoria has vaulted to the top of the Sheffield Shield table after overcoming some dogged resistance from the Tasmanian tail to post a crushing 10-wicket victory at the MCG on Tuesday.
Brett Geeves, cruelly left stranded on a career-best 99, helped Tasmania reach 300 and avoid an innings defeat but it was not enough to prevent Victoria from claiming the outright points.
He was denied a maiden first-class ton by a questionable decision from Bob Parry, who ruled No.11 Tim MacDonald caught at slip despite replays clearly showing the ball hitting the top of his armguard.
"It's tough but it happens, it's part of the game I suppose," Geeves said. "It'll probably take a couple of hours for me to let it sink in. We'll move on."
Forced to delay its celebrations until after lunch by the Tasmanian tail, the Bushrangers ensured the match was over prior to tea on the final day, taking less than eight overs to reach the paltry target of 35.
The win has taken Victoria to 16 points, four clear of Queensland and Western Australia, who the Bushrangers play in Perth in a game starting on Friday.
"I think it's been outstanding first four games for the group in all forms of the game and we just hope we can continue and stay in form," said Bushrangers coach Greg Shipperd.
"It's a hungry group. We weren't satisfied with last year in a lot of respects and we've said so. We're playing to address that situation."
For Tasmania, it was a sorry end to a road trip which started so promisingly last Wednesday with victory in the Ford Ranger Cup.
From the moment its top order crumbled on the first day after winning the toss, the Tigers were never in the hunt and the resistance shown by Geeves and his fellow tailenders came after the horse had well and truly bolted.
Skittled for 218 early on day two, the Tigers then watched Victoria amass a formidable 484 before their frontline batsmen, with the exception of skipper Dan Marsh, who made a defiant 75, again folded in the second innings.
Like he was on Saturday, under-rated paceman Clinton McKay was again the destroyer for the Bushrangers, claiming 5-78 for a match haul of eight wickets, including that of MacDonald which ended Tasmania's second innings.
After rolling the Tigers' top three on Monday, he snared the wicket of Luke Butterworth in only the fifth over of the day, exposing the Tigers' tail.
When Marsh was caught behind off Shane Harwood nearly 90 minutes before lunch, the end appeared nigh.
But Geeves and the tail had other ideas. Geeves not only top-scored but put his more talented team-mates up the order to shame with his blend of crisp strokeplay and stout defence.
Given a life on 28 by Rob Quiney at short leg off the bowling of Jon Holland, Geeves forced the Bushrangers to keep their celebratory drinks on ice until at least after lunch.
Not even the second new ball could topple Geeves - who treated it with contempt by clubbing Andrew McDonald and McKay for consecutive boundaries.
Aided by brave displays from Gerard Denton, who made 28, and Ben Hilfenhaus, a century appeared within Geeves's grasp.
He lost Denton while on 75 and was only five runs short when Hilfenhaus, who was given a life on nine also by Quiney, became wicketkeeper Matthew Wade's ninth