The round eight Goulburn Valley League clash at the weekend saw the Saints clinch a 46-35 victory over the Eagles, the first time they have been ahead at the final whistle since July 22, 2023, when they secured a five-goal victory, which also came over Mansfield.
Benalla got off to the perfect start, blitzing the Eagles in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-3 lead by the first break, and from there never looked back.
While Mansfield managed to close slightly in the second term, reducing the margin to nine goals by half-time, the Saints were able to extend the advantage back to double digits when they returned to the court in the third term, holding a 10-goal lead heading into the fourth, which they further increased by one to reinstate the 11-goal lead they had at quarter-time.
It was an emphatic response from the side, who rebounded strongly from a horror pre-bye defeat to Euroa, to hand coach Chloe Hill her first win at the helm, with her sister Bridget named best-on-court, having contributed 39 of Benalla’s goals.
Gemma Mathieson was influential through the midcourt also, earning a spot in the best players, while Chloe Elliott played a pivotal role as goal keeper to also be named among the more influential players.
The win lifts Benalla off the bottom of the ladder too, having boosted its percentage by just enough to climb ahead of Kyabram into 11th spot by one-and-a-half percentage points, and equal on points with Mansfield, who also possess a 1-7 record, but have a superior percentage.
Having finally broken through to secure the win that has eluded them for so long, the Saints will look to keep their good form rolling into next week, however they will face a tough task against Seymour away from home.
Benalla’s B-grade side also claimed its first win of the season on what was a brilliant day all-round on the courts, clinching a 45-32 victory, with Claire Marriot, Tessie Symes and Jodi Symes among the best.
The wins continued with B-reserve adding its third victory for the year, comfortably accounting for the Eagles 41-22, with Chelsea Wallace, Marni Howard and Alex Keast particularly influential.
The under-17 and under-15 sides both fought hard but were unable to get the win, going down 33-46 and 30-43 in their respective clashes.
