Sound the air raid siren.
Benalla has the chance to make it two wins in three weeks.
Those first couple lines may be facetious, but trying to make the Saints’ 2024 season appear interesting has been a tough ask.
However, in the past few weeks the cogs have been beginning to turn in the east, with the Saints claiming their first win of the season against Shepparton Swans with an impressive comeback victory.
In last weekend’s match against Kyabram (which appears to be a finals-bound side), Benalla was competitive for all but one quarter, further demonstrating its growth after a tough first eight rounds (one draw and seven losses).
This week, the Saints have a golden opportunity to claim their second win of the year, give themselves some breathing space to last place and even jump up to 10th on the Goulburn Valley League ladder.
The Saints’ opponents are last-placed Tatura, which has had an equally disappointing season, with only one win from 10 games.
This battle of the cellar dwellers is the perfect opportunity for Jarrad Waite and his men to demonstrate what they have learned in the first half of the season and that the future is bright at Benalla Showgrounds.
If the Saints are to claim their second win of the season against the Bulldogs on Saturday, they will have to bring the pressure and intensity that they brought against the Swans during their maiden win.
In that round nine clash, Benalla had more tackles (82-71), chases (31-21), pressure acts (64-40) and overall pressure figures (178-135).
The pressure in the Saints’ performance against the Swans was impressive, but overall, one key area Benalla needs to improve is its tackle numbers.
The Saints rank last in the league for average disposals a match, yet they also rank in the bottom three for average tackles a match, which would signify they are not chasing hard enough when the opposition has it.
One strength Benalla possesses is its dominance in centre clearances, with the Saints averaging the fourth most centre clearances and fifth most hit-outs in the league.
How Benalla’s clearance work is both a strength and a weakness
Clearance strength
Centre clearances league rank: Fourth
Hit-outs league rank: Fifth
Clearance weakness
Throw in clearances league rank: Eighth
Ball up clearances league rank: 12th
Total clearances league rank: Ninth
This is mainly due to gun ruckman Mark Marriott’s influence through the middle, with the Saints star averaging elite in the league for average ranking points (118), contested possessions (11.9), contested marks (1.6), hit-outs (38.1), hit-outs to advantage (6.7) and tackles (5.7).
Tatura has had arguably the leanest patch in the league this season; in the Bulldogs’ past three matches, their average losing margin has been 99 points.
For Benalla, this game is ripe for the picking; Waite mentioned after his side’s first win that it was nice to see the reward for effort for his players and for them to know that they are on the right path.
Well, now it’s time to further demonstrate that Benalla is no longer the whipping boy of the league.
It’s time for the Saints to make a statement at home and win comfortably against a struggling Bulldogs side.
It’s time for Benalla to rip itself away from the dim, grisly light of the cellar.