GVL Data

GVL Data ǀ Saints midfield maestros lead Benalla to grinding win

By James Kleeman

Jul 19, 2022

Can’t be stopped: Benalla’s James Martiniello was hard at it again on Saturday.

It’s a tale as old as time; a Benalla midfield stacked with talent rose to the occasion again on Saturday, leading the Saints to a hard-fought win over Tatura in round 13 of Goulburn Valley League.

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In a game that wasn’t decided until the later stages of the contest, Benalla had its midfield to thank for their tireless work at stoppage.

With the power of GVL Data, it’s clear to see just how hard the Saints worked on Saturday.

Quickly becoming routine is Josh Marchbank’s ruck dominance; the big man registered a whopping 51 hitouts for the second week running.

It’s the third time he has managed to put up more than 50 hitouts in a game this season.

Will Martiniello was key with another 30-disposal game, Tatura’s Billy Cooper the only other player on the ground to manage more with 37.

Martiniello has produced 30-disposal games in all bar one of his matches this season, the only exception being back in round two against Tatura when he was unable to see out the game due to injury.

Midfield partner-in-crime Chris Welsh was also instrumental with 28 touches, 15 contested possessions and seven clearances.

James Martiniello continued his superb run of form in recent weeks, notching 23 touches, 14 contested possessions, 11 groundball gets and eight tackles.

Saints stalwart Jake Pallpratt was best-on-ground with 22 possessions, four tackles and six rebound 50s, repelling a number of Tatura’s forward entries from across half-back.