Mitchell Vasterink was named Benalla’s best in the loss to Shepparton at the weekend, fighting valiantly despite a lengthy injury list. Photos: Locked In Media.
Benalla’s Goulburn Valley League senior football clash against ladder leader Shepparton at the weekend was one marred by an unbelievable amount of bad luck, as injuries piled up at a rapid rate in the early stages.
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Already without star backman Nick Warnock, who was rested for the round seven encounter, and impressive off-season recruit Kevin Maroney, who was a late withdrawal as he welcomed his first child, the Saints made just 11 bench rotations for the game, none of which came in the second half, as they lost four players to injury before the end of the second quarter.
It made for tough going against the polished Bears, who now remain the only undefeated side in the competition, but the Saints never dropped their heads, showing great resilience to run out the contest despite the 4.9 (33) to 18.17 (125) scoreline.
It was a promising first quarter from Benalla, too, with the Saints looking up for the fight early at Benalla Showgrounds, with Michael Mummery - fresh off an eight-goal haul against Tatura in round six - and recruit Brady Bartlett responding to the Bears’ opening two goals to draw Benalla level again.
Recruit Brady Bartlett kicks one of his two goals against Shepparton.
The Saints had plenty of opportunities throughout the rest of the term, too, registering six scoring shots to five by the first break, although inaccuracy saw them trail 2.4 (16) to 4.1 (25) as they made their way to the huddle.
While right in the contest, the casualty ward was already showing signs of strain by that point, as Tom Bennett and Mummery had already been ruled out of the game.
It went from bad to worse in the second term, too, as on-baller Travis Young found himself consigned to the pine just after the break, while utility Pat Warner was ruled out just before half time, leaving the Saints without any available players to come off the bench.
Slowly but surely, it began to have an effect on the scoreboard, too, as while Bartlett managed his second major of the afternoon midway through the second quarter to keep the margin at nine points, the fully-fit Bears began to pull away just before the main break.
The final two goals of the half pushed the visitors’ advantage out to 24 points as they entered the sheds, with the Saints trailing 3.7 (25) to 7.7 (49).
Henry Hill assesses his options inside-50.
But the longer the game wore on, the harder it became for Benalla to stay in touch, and the superiority of the Bears physically became more and more pronounced.
The Saints were under pressure defensively, and did well to limit the damage to four goals in the third term, but going goalless themselves saw the deficit widen to 53 points by the final change, and the ruthless Shepparton put the foot down all the way in the last.
A seven-goal-to-one final quarter in favour of the visitors saw the margin reach the eventual 92 points, with Sam Begley hitting the scoreboard for the Saints, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom post-game, with the scoreboard not indicative of the effort Benalla produced, with the willingness to grind it out to the final siren earning commendations from coach Nick Pearson.
Tyler McGregor sends the ball forward.
Mitchell Vasterink was named Benalla’s best in the loss, the big man continuing to impress week after week since joining the club in the off season, while Jack Fullager, David Mennen, Cooper Gracie and Tyler McGregor weren’t far behind, all named among the more influential players on the day.
In a silver lining, the league wide bye this weekend could mean that none of the players injured at the weekend will miss any football, with the club - via an update on Facebook – stating that all players are expected to be right to play against Rochester in round eight, with the Saints set to host the Tigers at Benalla Showgrounds on May 30.
