With the Goulburn Valley League playing its penultimate round of fixtures at the weekend, a pair of Benalla sides entered their respective clashes in a fierce fight for a top six berth.

On Saturday, both the under-18 football and B Reserve netball sides took massive strides towards securing their spot in September, each earning brilliant wins over Tatura in front of a home crowd during the Saints’ final game at Benalla Showgrounds this season.

For the thirds, the win doesn’t just represent a massive stride, it ensures the side will be playing on beyond this weekend’s final round, with the Saints now two and a half games ahead of seventh with one game to play, having beaten the Bulldogs convincingly, 15.5 (95) to 8.7 (55).

The way in which they won speaks volumes about the group, too.

Ahead at quarter time after a 3.1 (19) to 2.2 (14) opening term, the Saints were unable to match Tatura’s surge in the second quarter, with the Bulldogs booting 4.2 to Benalla’s three straight goals, leaving the home side trailing by three points heading into the rooms at half time.

What had been a tight and tough encounter to that point morphed into a free-flowing contest in the third term, at least for Benalla, with the Saints emerging from the main break a different side, putting the visitors to the sword.

Two goals apiece to Xavier Wapling and Max Smyth, and one to Nate Nicholas, saw the Saints boot the opening five goals of the third term, and while Tatura snuck one back before the final change, Benalla entered the fourth quarter 21 points to the good, and only continued to forge ahead.

The withering second half burst continued, with Harrison Skelton countering a Tatura major to kick start a run of four unanswered Benalla majors to round out a superb victory, as Christian Squires, Smyth and Ryder Robertson put the cherry on top of a brilliant display from the Saints.

Wapling and Smyth were named the Saints’ best in the win, both finishing with four goals, while Kobi Thwaites, Josh Hart and Robertson (one goal) rounded out the most influential.

With a 9-6-1 record, the Saints thirds have now confirmed their spot in finals, with Tatura (7-10) too far back in seventh to dislodge Benalla in the final round.

Qualifying for finals represents a huge step forward for the thirds, who last year finished second bottom with a 5-13 record, earning four and a half more wins to this point than at the same stage last season, while also already surpassing last season’s total points scored with a game to play, as well as conceding almost 200 fewer points as compared to the end of round 17 last season.

On the netball court, the B Reserve Saints earned a solid victory too, leading at every change to beat the Bulldogs 43-36, repeating the seven-goal win they enjoyed in their previous meeting with Tatura this season.

The impressive win was set up on the back of a dominant opening term, with the Saints firing out to a 14-4 lead by the first break, and while the Bulldogs managed to eat into the deficit somewhat by half time, Benalla still held a commanding 24-16 lead by the main interval.

Eleven goals to nine the way of the visitors in the third term cut Benalla’s advantage to six goals at the final change; however, rather than panic, the Saints showed resolve, winning the final term by one to complete an imposing performance.

But while the win was impressive, the job is far from over for the Saints, given seventh-placed Shepparton also secured victory in round 17, meaning it will all come down to the final round this weekend.

The Saints currently occupy sixth with a 9-8 record, half a game ahead of the Bears (7-8-1), meaning a win over third-placed Shepparton Swans will secure passage into finals regardless of the Bears’ result, as would a loss for the Bears, while Benalla would miss out on finals if it were to lose or draw to the Swans while Shepparton beat fifth-placed Rochester.

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Tuesday, 25th April 2034

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