Round seven, 2015 at Benalla Showgrounds
Benalla 10.15 (75) lt Shepparton United 11.10 (76)
You could say this tight thriller had silver linings for both sides; for Shepparton United - a team that only won five games in 2015 - the upset was one of its biggest scalps.
United co-coach Brendan van der Donk said it was right up there with one of the best wins he had experienced.
“I’ve had some good wins elsewhere, but this win here for the boys and the group was massive going forward for the rest of the year,’’ he said.
As for the Saints, the disappointing outcome could also be seen as the moment they were truly spurred towards premiership glory.
After a heartbreaking grand final defeat in 2014, this loss was the Saints’ fourth of 2015 (in seven games) and put them at a crossroads.
But the team responded, winning the remainder of their home and away matches, and dropped just one finals match before earning the premiership that year.
With scores equal at half-time, United carried its one-point lead from three-quarter time all the way to the final siren.
Benalla coach Luke Morgan gave no excuses for his side’s loss.
“We had more scoring shots, but it wasn’t that that cost us the game, (United) outplayed us in that last little bit,” he said.
Jesse McInneny booted three goals for United, while Shane Neaves took out the ruck battle against Benalla’s Josh Marchbank.
