GVL Data | Benalla should be buoyed after almost pulling the rug from underneath Seymour

Still, defeat aside, Benalla had plenty to gain from a 21.12 (138) to 16.9 (105) loss to the Lions.

Though Seymour is not the same animal it was in 2023, Benalla almost halved the deficit from when the sides last met — a 21.14 (140) to 13.7 (85) loss in May.

And with no hyperbole, the Saints almost won in the recent clash.

By whacking on our GVL-Data-tinted glasses and going to school on the stats sheet, we can examine Benalla’s shortcomings and successes in a game for the spectators at Kings Park.

Firstly, Seymour had slightly more ball use with a 362-327 disposal split, yet Benalla edged ahead in the contested possession count 154-142.

It’ll come as no surprise where the Saints dominated: the stoppage.

Thanks to the aerial work from ruck beast Mark Marriott, Benalla bullied Seymour in hit-outs +35, leading 13-3 to advantage while nudging ahead 42-39 in terms of clearances.

But where did Jarrad Waite’s men miss out?

Seymour snuck ahead of the Saints 55-52 on the inside 50 tally, but where the Lions made hay — and Benalla pay — was clunking the marks inside the arc, winning that count 23-11.

Benalla also trailed -33 in overall pressure and did not lay enough tackles as the Lions stopped their opponent 66 times to the visitors’ 39.

Discipline also played a factor in crucial moments.

Chris Welsh caught Seymour’s Max McLean high when Benalla trailed by only eight points, resulting in a 50m penalty which McLean converted to set off the first of four Lions goals in as many minutes.

You cannot fault Welsh for his work rate, however.

Benalla’s premier on-baller finished with 39 disposals (18 contested) to complement his whopping 10 inside 50s and 11 clearances for the day.

It elevates Welsh to third in the GVL’s average disposals list with 34.1, only bested by Euroa’s Will Hayes (35.2) and Mooroopna’s Coby McCarthy (34.9).

He’s not the only Saint on the podium in their specialist field, either.

Marriott sits third in the competition for per-game hit-outs, averaging 42.8 behind Shepparton’s Ash Holland (52.3) and Tatura’s Jacob Simpson (50).

The towering tall also had his best game on paper for Benalla against Seymour, racking up an eye-popping 229 ranking points courtesy of a 30 disposal performance which featured eight inside 50s, nine clearances, 52 hit-outs and two goals.