Benalla’s 2025 Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball campaign has suffered a tough start, with the Saints coming up against a rampant Shepparton Swans outfit in round one.
The Chloe Hill-led Saints struggled to match the Swans, who finished best of the rest in seventh last season, going down 59-21 in the season opener at Princess Park.
A hot start from the home side saw them lead the Saints 14-4 at the first break, and while Benalla managed to find the goals more often in the second term, adding eight to their total, so did the Swans, piling on 16 to carry an 18-goal advantage into the half time break.
The Saints produced their best defensive effort in the third quarter to restrict their opponents to 13 goals, however added just five themselves as the margin grew to 26 at the final break, before the Swans blew the scoreline out in the last to record the eventual win by 38.
It was a tough start to the season for Benalla, however with a focus on youth this season after a torrid 2024 campaign, it is expected that the younger crop will need a period of time to gain experience at the level before results begin to show.
Benalla host Shepparton Bears in its first home game of the season at the Showgrounds this weekend, and will be hoping to put its best foot forward against another quality opponent.
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