Shepparton Swans took the phrase ‘’fast finish’’ to a whole new plane on Saturday.
Locked in a low-scoring arm wrestle with Benalla at Princess Park, the Swans made mince meat of the Saints in the final quarter with a blitz on the Saints’ goal to steal an 11.13 (79) to 6.5 (41) win.
What’s curious is Jedd Wright’s men trailed heading into the last term.
Whether it was a Winston Churchill-esque address from Wright himself, or a simple ‘‘crack on’’ message instilled by the playing contingent, the Swans cut Benalla to ribbons in less than half an hour — and a simple glance over the stats tells you exactly how.
The hosts won the clearance count 12-5 and dominated Benalla in inside-50 entries (+10) with Zac Banch laying claim to nine on his lonesome during the last.
Saints were doomed when peering at their entry efficiency, as their inside-50 percentage sat astronomically lower than the Swans — a whole 34 per cent lower — while the home side was also cleaner with the handball and kick as it led the visitors in disposal efficiency, 76 per cent to 66 per cent.
Swans trumped their opposition in overall pressure (12-8) and had eight tackles to Benalla’s six, also holding the cards when it came to total ground-ball gets (19-6).
In terms of who rattled the cage for the Swans in the last, Banch is a crystal-clear standout.
His 13 touches in the final quarter eclipsed the game total for 10 of Benalla’s players, chipping in with six clearances as well as seven contested possessions.
The Williamstown-listed talent also had the last major say on the game, booting the final of the Swans’ six fourth-quarter goals with an acrobatic mark and ice-cold conversion from downtown.
Shepparton Swans’ fourth quarter versus Benalla
Disposals: 82
Marks: 33
Clearances: 12
Tackles: 8
Inside-50s: 17
Ranking points: 422