Buoyed by its first win in nearly two years last start against Mansfield, Benalla travelled to Seymour with hopes of a repeat performance, however, it was always going to be a tough ask against the high-flying Lions, who stormed to a 70-29 win.
It wasn’t necessarily a disastrous start for the Saints, as although they only scored three goals in the opening quarter, they limited Seymour to 12, keeping the margin to single digits at quarter-time and providing plenty of fight.
The second term was much better in terms of scoring, with the Saints able to find the bottom of the net on 11 occasions as Bridget Hill and Chloe Elliott found their rhythm inside the circle, yet Seymour extended its lead to 15 at the main break, up 29-14 as the game began to slip slowly away from the visitors.
As things wore on in the second half, the gulf in experience and class between the two sides slowly became more obvious, with the Lions piling on the goals in the third term to double their lead, and the Saints soon found themselves 30 goals in arrears, trailing 21-51 at three-quarter time and the result beyond doubt.
There was still plenty of effort shown in the final term, with the Saints giving their all until the final whistle, yet they were no match for a polished Seymour, which eventually walked away with a 41-goal victory.
Hill and Elliott were among the best for the Saints, adding 18 and 10 goals, respectively, while Jacqueline Foster was instrumental through the midcourt, providing plenty of run.
Benalla returns to the showgrounds for a run of three consecutive home games from round 10 to 12, with Mooroopna first in that stretch this weekend, with Shepparton United and Shepparton Swans to follow.
In other grades, the B-grade side fell 22-59, with Claire Marriot, Georgia Levy and Karla Balfour its best, while the B-reserve side also fell to a strong Lions line-up 28-52, although Remi Nicholas, Taylah McKenzie and Jazzy Ashcroft were influential.
The under-17s went down 32-40 in a strong showing, with Georgia Levy and Taylah McKenzie once again in the best, as was Ruby Richardson, while the under-15s clinched the sole win of the day on the court for the Saints, with Ilka Cunneen, Remi Holmes and Darcey Carrachar leading a 32-16 triumph.
9°C