While Benalla’s top flight football and netball sides have already been ruled out of contention, a pair of lower grade Saints sides remain firmly in the finals mix, though their respective paths to playing on in September look quite different.
The Saints’ under-18 football and B-reserve netball sides remain alive and well in season 2026, each currently occupying sixth spot on the ladder ahead of their respective round 17 matches this weekend.
For the thirds, the equation is relatively simple; win and you’re in.
Sitting inside the finals-playing positions with an 8-6-1 record, a huge improvement from their 11th-placed finish in 2025, the Saints are in the box seat to wrap up the last spot that ensures finals football this weekend, given they remain a game and a half ahead of seventh.
Which team sits seventh, you ask? None other than Benalla’s opponent this Saturday in Tatura, laying the foundations for an absolute blockbuster at Benalla Showgrounds.
A victory – or draw – will lock the Saints into the finals with a round remaining in the regular season, and recent form is on their side, having beaten the Bulldogs by 14 points in their match-up earlier this season.
Even if a loss eventuates, the Saints will end the round in sixth spot, and will have another chance in round 18 to lock away a finals position when they come up against 11th-placed Shepparton Swans, with any form of points in that encounter also securing a post-season berth.
The only way in which the under-18 Saints can miss finals from this position is by losing both of their remaining games, in combination with Tatura beating Seymour next weekend, which will see Benalla finish seventh.
While the thirds remain well-placed to play on in 2026, things are a little more precarious for the B-reserve netballers.
Despite sitting sixth with a much superior percentage compared to seventh-placed Shepparton, said percentage looks to be a non-factor in the Saints’ finals hopes, with only two premiership points separating the pair following the Bears’ triumph over Benalla last weekend.
The Saints face two must-win matches as a result if they are to make certain of their place in finals, and face tough opposition too, starting with eighth-placed Tatura on Saturday, though Benalla triumphed by seven goals in the meeting between the pair earlier this season.
A win for the Saints this weekend combined with a loss for the Bears will see Benalla through, while a win for both sides will continue the fight into the final round, where the Saints will take on fifth-placed Shepparton Swans.
The Swans proved too good for the Saints earlier in the year, winning by six goals on that occasion and will present a big obstacle in round 18, though one positive for Benalla is the fact Shepparton faces fourth-placed Rochester in the final round, meaning the Bears at the very least will face a similarly tough final round match-up.
Simply, if Benalla can win both of its remaining games, or match the results of the Bears across the final two rounds, the Saints will be headed for B-reserve finals, however, if the Bears win both and Benalla lose one, or win one while the Saints lose both, Benalla will miss.
There is still plenty to play out across the final fortnight, though with both Benalla sides starting with the high ground in their respective battles, the Saints should be hopeful of having two sides playing on in September.
