Goulburn Valley League has a defined top seven, but there are only six final spots come September.
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And right now, Benalla is team number seven.
A fifth loss on Saturday saw the Saints drop out of the top six, surprisingly knocked over by Shepparton United by six points at Deakin Reserve.
Now 11 rounds into the season, the fixture has come full circle, with Benalla set to play a number of teams for a second time in the coming rounds.
First up is Euroa, who the Saints narrowly beat by four points in the season opener.
‘‘We just got the points against them last time, but they’ve been a bit inconsistent, too,’’ Saints coach James Martiniello said.
‘‘We have a fair understanding of what they’re doing.
‘‘They enjoy the challenge of coming to Benalla and knocking us off.
‘‘A win is vitally important in the context of our season.’’
For a team that has failed to rack up a consistent run of victories since wins in their opening three matches, Benalla fell short of their best football against a wilful Shepparton United team that boasts both youth and experience.
And Martiniello admits he was still scratching his head days after the loss as to what went wrong.
‘‘We didn’t turn up to play,’’ Martiniello said.
‘‘Our disposals weren’t great, we turned the footy over, we choose the wrong option.
‘‘It wasn’t smart football.’’
The match against United saw Martiniello return to the side from a hamstring injury, while experienced players in Will Martiniello, Nick Warnock and Chris Welsh were again amongst the players that stood up.
In-form forward Brody Webster was well-held by Beau Caia, while last quarter goals to Mitch Exton and Marcus O’Brien wasn’t enough to get the Saints over the line.
This time last year Benalla were sitting at 9-2; after their latest loss, they are 6-5.
Martiniello said the ledger was a fair indicator of where his team was at.
‘‘You get that inconsistency in a young group — it flows up and done,’’ he said.
‘‘We need to make sure we turn up week in and week out.
‘‘Wins aren’t just going to happen, it takes effort.’’
●Benalla’s reserves side lost its own nail-biter against Shepp United earlier on Saturday, losing by three points.
Jamie Dunne was named best on ground as he looks to work his way back into the seniors’ side.
Final score: Shepparton United 5.10 (40) def Benalla 5.4 (34)
Goal Kickers: M. Exton 2, M. O’Brien 2, B. Webster
Best Players: W. Martiniello, N. Warnock, C. Welsh, R. Moran, M. Exton, R. Johnson
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