Gallery | Shepparton United on the board after Goulburn Valley League dismantling of Tatura

Round nine saw two teams wrestle for their first victory of 2025 as Shepparton United hosted Tatura at Deakin Reserve on Saturday.

In wintry conditions, United came home with a wet sail against the Bulldogs, booting 14 goals to naught in the second half to win the match 19.16 (130) to 2.10 (22).

A tight opening term gave the Dogs — who have been under siege all year — a sniff as United took a 25-17 lead into the first break.

The arm wrestle continued in the second with only one goal occurring, courtesy of the Demons’ Blake Fothergill, which boosted the lead to 15 points as the two teams entered the sheds.

Tatura will be left to rue what could have been if it had kicked straight in the first half as Paul Barnard’s men wasted opportunities in front of goal.

One man who made the most of his time forward was United’s Kaedyn Napier who secured his first bag of the season.

The Demon put six through the big sticks as the gun forward found his rhythm following an injury-interrupted pre-season.

Shepparton United co-coach Trent Freer said he was pleased his players finally got rewarded for their effort.

“We haven’t felt that we have been bad, we just haven’t been winning,” Freer said.

“We have really pushed a lot of sides, so to finally get it off our chest yesterday and get that win was fantastic and really good reward for all the hard work the boys have been doing.

“You go to work and the days are getting shorter, darker, colder and so it is harder to get everyone on the track because you have to really keep pumping that belief.

“We can talk about what we want to achieve, but to actually get it and have that feeling that we can achieve it was fantastic and that is something we think will put fire into their bellies for the remainder of the year.”

Reflecting on the game, Freer said it was a full team performance.

The Demons’ backline was stoic throughout the day, the midfielders clicked into gear in the second half, while the forwards thanks to Napier and Kyle Clark (three goals) produced their biggest score for the year.

Freer said he put it on his players to stick to the game plan during the main break, and given the 95-3 second half, the team certainly delivered.

“We were probably our own worst enemy in that first half, we just couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard and we kept them in it for longer than we needed to," he said.

"That’s not disrespectful to Tat, it’s just we didn’t stay on our own game path and structures."

While not wanting to get ahead of themselves following the win over a struggling Tatura, Freer said he and his players knew the sky was the limit for United.

“We have lost four games by under three kicks, so I still like to think we can finish in the top half of the comp,” he said.

“If we can get the next block of games and leave with three (wins) in the next five, that would be awesome.

“We want to aim high at the club, we are over just being a part of something, we want to create something special.

“Where we finish on the ladder we are not certain, but we just want to compete and start to tick some wins off.”

Freer made special note to thank Shepparton United’s faithful supporter base for its loyalty during a tough first half of the season.