On the back of Jack Hart’s six-goal performance, the Benalla junior footballers have marched into the second week of the Wangaratta and District Junior Football League finals.
Sunday’s elimination final between the Benalla Red Under-12s and Bright Under-12s, at the WJ Findlay Reserve, was expected to be a nail-biter after the previous match between the two the week before saw Bright win by three points.
Benalla’s midfield stamped its authority on the match early with a workmanlike first quarter to lead by two goals at the break.
The second quarter repeated the pattern of the first, and the Saints went into the main break with a 15-point lead.
Whatever the Benalla coaches said to the boys worked wonders after the break, as they produced their best quarter of the season to kick six goals to zero.
In the last quarter, the Saints added another three goals to secure a 65-point win.
Among the best on the day for Benalla were captain Jack Hart, who finished with a match-high six goals, vice-captain Sam Mount who was also in everything and Angus Roscoe who continued his dream season in ruck.
Benalla now take on Imperials this Sunday in another loser-goes-home crunch match-up.
Score: Benalla Red 12.5 (77) def Bright 2.0 (12)
Goals: Jack Hart 6, Louis Horne 2, Oliver Smith 2, Sam Mount, Hudson Pickering
Best players: Jack Hart, Samuel Mount, Edward Sheehan, Xavier Beriman, Angus Roscoe, Thomas Snell