Sport

Saints scrap it out to notch first win of the season

By Alexander Dabb

Apr 19, 2026

Mark Marriott was named best afield as Benalla notched its first win of the year on Saturday. Photo by Karl Phillipson

On a day that Benalla was celebrating a past era with a commemorative Benalla and District Football League round, it simultaneously saw the beginning of a new one.

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It was a scrappy, low-scoring affair, but it won’t matter much to the Saints, who are on the board for the first time in the Goulburn Valley League senior football competition under new coach Nick Pearson, clinching a 8.9 (57) to 4.8 (32) victory over Euroa at Benalla Showgrounds on Saturday.

It was fairly comprehensive, too, with the Saints leading at every change en route to the 25-point victory, which will no doubt enthuse players and supporters alike.

Hugo Cornell got the Saints off to the perfect start with the opening major of the contest, before adding a second to retake the lead after Euroa slotted its first goal of the contest.

The Saints enjoyed a narrow lead at the first break, ahead 14-13 in a term that saw only three goals kicked, but the wayward Magpies had only themselves to blame for the deficit, having managed 1.5 from their six shots on goal.

It was another dour affair in the second term, but one that Benalla managed to get the better of, extending the lead by a further seven points to halftime as Saints newcomer Travis Young slotted the only goal of the quarter, handing the Saints a 3.5 (23) to 1.7 (13) lead at the main break.

With goals hard to come by in the first half, the game was begging to be broken open, and that’s exactly what Benalla did – to a degree – to start the second.

While only four goals were kicked for the quarter, the first three went to Mitchell Vasterink, Tyler McGregor and Mark Marriott, which combined with a further two behinds, saw the Saints open up a game-high 30-point lead as the three-quarter time break approached.

The Magpies got one back just before the two sides entered the huddles, although staring at a four-goal margin when they had kicked only two to that point must have seemed a mountainous task for Euroa to overcome.

And so it proved, as the two sides each booted two goals in the last term, although the Saints managed an extra behind to win the term by a point, and the game by an eventual 25, to notch their first win of the year.

There were familiar names among the best for the Saints, with ruckman Marriott and skipper Chris Welsh having a big say on proceedings, while David Mennen backed up his round one form with another brilliant showing.

Young was also among the most influential, kicking a goal while notching his third straight appearance in the best as he makes a bright start to life in the Rose City, while Henry Hill rounded out Benalla’s top performers.

Vasterink finished the afternoon with two goals, again putting his name forward in his third outing for the Saints, as did Michael Mummery in his club debut, while James Martiniello and Tyler McGregor each added one.

Both sides face tough away trips in round four, with Euroa to face Seymour at Kings Park on Saturday afternoon, while Benalla will head to Mansfield Recreation reserve to take on the Eagles under lights on Saturday night.