Season 2022 was one to forget for Shepparton United fans, with a record of 1-17 having it claim the Goulburn Valley League wooden spoon.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom for the Demons, with a number of youngsters getting a consistent crack at senior footy and showing they have what it takes to help bring this proud club back up the ladder.
In the coming week, The News sports team will be reviewing how all 12 clubs fared throughout the season and using the power of GVL Data to help it along the way.
Looking through the season statistics, United’s Achilles heel is evident for all to see.
While Paul Serra’s men were serviceable in their ability to win the ball, averaging 122.2 contested possessions a game to be ranked seventh in the competition, they shot themselves in the foot with how they used the ball.
The Demons ranked equal last for kicking efficiency, sporting a lowly figure of 57 per cent, and topped the league for clangers, averaging a whopping 30.2 a game.
Constantly giving the ball back to the opposition, this meant they struggled to put competitive scores on the board, with a season tally of 775 points the second worst of any side.
Defending was another sore spot for United, as it gave up 2037 points for the season to be comfortably the most scored on team for the year.
So where are the positives?
Key Statistics
Shepparton United in 2022 (Averages a game)
Disposals 306.7
Contested possessions 122.2
Uncontested possessions 184.7
Marks 71.3
Clearances 33.6
Groundball gets 96.8
Kicking efficiency 57 per cent
Clangers 30.2
Well it was around the footy where the Demons were at their best, as they backed up their relatively strong contested ball numbers by ranking sixth in clearances (33.6 a game), seventh in ground ball gets (96.8) and third in tackles (61.0 a game).
And in terms of individual performers, skipper Kyle Clarke can certainly hold his head high.
Fronting up each and every week, Clarke gave his all across half-back and ended the season with averages of 25.4 disposals, 5.3 marks, 9.1 handball receives and 5.2 rebound 50s a game.
At a glance
Kyle Clarke leading from the front (Averages a game)
Disposals 25.4
Uncontested possessions 15.4
Handball receives 9.1
Marks 5.3
Rebound 50s 5.2
Sheldon Bogdan was another consistent performer through the midfield for United, averaging 19.4 disposals, 8.3 clearances and 4.8 clearances a game as he took his game to another level.
So while it didn’t produce results on field it was after in 2022, there is enough there for Shepparton United fans to be excited by moving into the future.