Benalla proved no match for an unbeaten Shepparton at the weekend, falling by 38 goals in the round 13 Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball affair.
Travelling to Deakin Reserve, the Saints were up against it from the opening possession against a ruthless Bears, eventually going down 24-62 to slump to an 11th defeat of the season.
The home side had all the running in the first term, putting the first five goals on the board and nine of the first 10, as Benalla struggled to keep pace, mustering five goals in the opening quarter to trail 5-16 at the first break.
By half-time the lead was 21 goals the way of Shepparton, which put the foot down in the second term and, while not as prolific, scoring only 14 for the quarter, the Bears restricted the Saints to four goals, with the visitors finding it difficult to advance the ball up the court.
The second half continued in the same vein, as Benalla continued to toil hard without much reward, while the Bears piled on goal after goal at the other end, widening the margin to 32 goals with a quarter to play.
Benalla showed plenty of resolve in the last term, its best of the contest, keeping Shepparton to 15 goals while adding nine of its own, the most of any quarter in the contest, keeping the margin beneath 40 in a determined final-quarter effort.
The Saints will enjoy a week off as a result of the split round 13 and will return to action in round 14 against Kyabram with hopes of a win over the 11th-placed Bombers.