The title holders’ premiership defence is turning into something of a procession after the first ten rounds of fixtures, with Cobram the latest side to come unstuck against the all-conquering outfit.
After defeating the Murray Bombers by a slim margin in last year’s grand final, United’s charges have continued from where they left off - defeating their latest opponents by 35 points on the evening of June 26.
The hosts down at Numurkah Showgrounds had reasons for optimism coming into the clash, having risen to third in the ladder in recent weeks after taking maximum points against Tatura and Nathalia in the previous rounds.
However, the Tigers proved no match for the ruthless Demons in round 10, who cruised to a 7.8 (50) to 2.3 (15) triumph on the night.
The Demons stamped their authority on the contest from the outset, piling on 1.4 to nil in the opening term before extending their lead to 15 points by half-time.
Any hopes of a Cobram fightback were extinguished after the main break as United produced its best football of the night, booting 3.1 in the third quarter while restricting the Tigers to just one strike to open up a match-winning 28-point chasm.
The visitors finished strongly to seal the convincing result, as Baksh led the way in front of goal with three majors, while Vicky Burn, Ebony Grace, Charli Guppy and Emily Zampaglione each chipped in with goals.
Cobram's goals came through Sasha Parish and Bethany Hibma, but their efforts proved in vain as they failed to stop the Demons juggernaut in a sobering outing on home turf.
Unsurprisingly, the mood in the Shepp United camp was one of jubilation following the final siren, as the victorious players gathered arm-in-arm to sing a chorus of the club’s celebratory anthem.
Reflecting on yet another win for his troops, Demons head coach Grant Searle was pleased with what he witnessed from his players, particularly after half-time.
“I thought it took us a while to warm up in the first half, in what was strange conditions down at Numurkah with an extremely wide pitch,” he said.
“It took us a while to get into our game plan, but the second half was much better.
“What’s nice is to know we are not reliant on one particular goal-kicker, and that has been the set-up this year.
“We do have a number of identified goal-kickers, which is what we wanted as we didn’t particularly want just to focus on one person - so it’s working quite well.”
“I’ve got a number of girls in the side who can run and can kick quite a distance so it’s freed up focal points for us.”
With Rumbalara next up in round 11, this result consolidated their position at the top of the league ladder, as they lead proceedings by four points - with Moama currently sitting in second spot.
Meanwhile, third-placed Cobram will have the opportunity to bounce back at the first time of asking up against the Shepparton Swans on July 12.
Elsewhere around the grounds, Nathalia maintained its unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought 12-point win over Tatura, 5.3 (33) to 3.3 (21) in round 11.
Moama also claimed an important road victory, overcoming Mansfield by nine points in a low-scoring contest, prevailing 3.5 (23) to 2.2 (14).
Rumbalara completed the round with the biggest winning margin, overpowering the Shepparton Swans by 51 points at Princess Park.
