Gallery | Shepparton Swans take flight after first round Goulburn Valley League demolition

Round one of the Goulburn Valley League had the Swans host the Saints at Princess Park on Saturday afternoon.

After a hard-fought opening term, the Swans led 21-18 at the first break.

Given Shepparton Swans are expected to be pushing for finals this season, Benalla is in a rebuilding phase and the fact the Saints upset the Swans last year, the match loomed as a banana peel fixture for the hosts.

The Bloods were able to kick on late in the second term to double the Saints' score at half-time, 64-32.

While Benalla showed its willingness to scrap and fight in the first half, Shepparton Swans demonstrated their speed and spread in the second.

The hosts blitzed their opposition in an impressive 50-2 third quarter.

Swans coach Jedd Wright said his side wore its opposition down in a tough first half of footy.

“I thought Benalla were really impressive in that first half, their pressure around the contest was really good,” Wright said.

“It took a bit of time to wear them down and get it on our terms where we could get it out to space and take the game on a bit.

“I thought it was a four-quarter effort of consistent pressure around stoppages.”

Swans swingman Andrew Riordan started his 2025 campaign in attack and the wily veteran adapted quickly, booting an equal game-high four goals.

Wright said the Swans loved having Riordan’s versatility as a weapon.

“(Riordan) is looking for a bit of a new challenge with his footy and playing him as a forward brought the best out of him on the weekend,” he said.

“But it will be horses for courses sort of thing with him.”

Having blown the game apart in the third term, the Swans cruised to the finish line in the fourth.

The hosts won the match 20.17 (137) to 7.6 (48).

One of the stars of the match was Carlton VFL player and young gun Oliver Warburton — son of former Swan Brett.

Wright said it was great to have a Warburton back playing at the club.

“(Warburton) played a great game,” he said.

“I know there were a lot of old Swans families who were around and really pleased to see the Warburton name back out playing senior footy for Swans.

“We were really impressed with him.”

One of Benalla’s debutants Nathan Wright booted four goals for the Saints to finish among their best.

In a sign of looking to the future, the visitors blooded five debutants with Hugo Cornell, Cooper Gracie, Ryley Ely, Ethan Maney and Wright playing their first senior games at the club.

The Swans also had some fresh faces in the red and white, with off-season recruits Jonathan Moore and Adam Fichera impressing.

Moore in particular was crucial in his ruck battle with Benalla star Mark Marriott.

Wright, while pleased with Moore’s performance, said he believed the young gun ruck had plenty of growth left in him.

“Jono competed really well in the ruck considering he was a little bit underdone,” he said.

“We didn’t know what to expect really, he has had a limited pre-season with cricket and then heading up north for a few weeks fishing.

“We were really impressed with what he produced off the pre-season he had.

“We expect him to probably get more consistent and continue to grow as a ruckman for us.”

This weekend Shepparton Swans travel to take on Seymour, while Benalla hosts last year’s grand finalist Shepparton.