The final home and away round of junior footy was played this weekend which saw four of our five teams come away with some great wins.
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With our two under-12 teams finishing in the top five, we have an exciting month of footy ahead of us still. We invite the whole community to get behind our youngest stars and support them through their finals campaign.
U12 Black
Under-12 Benalla Black took on Imperials in very soggy conditions at the weekend at Wareena Park for the final match of the home and away season. The team worked incredibly well together all game, being able to hold Imperials scoreless for the day.
Spencer Whitechurch was a contested ball magnet in and under the contest with Bill Bourke and Darcy Wallace being standouts, driving the ball forward at every opportunity.
Bailey King had clean hands in slippery conditions whilst Bryce Haxby and Cooper Rheese were wet weather specialists showing plenty of skill with the wet ball.
Congratulations on making finals, let’s go Blacks.
Score: Benalla Blacks 7.8 (50) def Imperials 0.0 (0)
Goals: Ted Clancy 3, Dustin Nolan 2, Max Reynolds, Fletcher Relf
Best: Spencer Whitechurch, Bill Bourke, Darcy Wallis, Bailey King, Bryce Haxby, Cooper Rheese
U12 Red
It was a wet and wild way to finish the home and away season, with pouring rain, puddles everywhere and some seriously scrappy footy, but our Reds braved the conditions and showed plenty of determination to finish the season with a great win.
That brings the home and away season to a close, and what a season it has been. The team has worked hard, improved throughout the year and now it’s time to turn our attention to finals. Go Reds.
Score: Benalla Reds 6.5 (41) def Jnr Magpies 3.2 (20)
Goals: Tory Woodhams 2, Hunter Symes, Archer Pickering, Izayah Williams, Jaxson Heatherill
Best: Ollie Ross, Tom Lambert, Archer Pickering, Owen Schirmer, Mitchell Murray, Jaxson Heatherill
U14 Black
Benalla Black under-14s finished their season in trying conditions against a well drilled Centrals outfit. Outclassed from start to finish with very few winners on the day, Benalla showed patches of team play, though such instances were few and far between in what ended up being a 97-point loss, with Benalla failing to score.
Teddy Sheehan battled hard in multiple positions driving the ball forward with Manny Bourke also continuing his strong finish to the season. Robin Arnold continued to show improvement along with a workman-like effort from Matty White.
Angus Roscoe had his hands full throughout the match however worked hard to nullify his opponents, while Jordan Streader also contributed to the team showing improved form in defence alongside co-captains Caleb Thwaites and Jimmy Jackson.
A big thank you to everyone involved throughout the year and best wishes to all of the players moving forward next season.
Score: Benalla Black 0.0 (0) def by Centrals 13.19 (97)
Best: Teddy Sheehan, Manny Bourke, Robin Arnold, Angus Roscoe, Jordan Streader, Matthew White
U14 Red
There aren’t words to describe the conditions that awaited us for our final game of the year. It was a really unfortunate scenario for us, after another strong week of training we were primed to finish off with a bang and show everyone how much we have grown as a team.
The aim was to get a score on the board early while the ball was still in good condition. This was achieved with some smart forward work by Hudson Pickering, kicking the opening two goals of the game. The goals came on the back of a strong midfield effort and a powerful display across centre half forward by Jackson Quarrel.
It would be fair to say the rest of the game was a scrap and full credit to all the players today. The way every single one of them took their moment and made a contribution at some point of the game. It was incredible to see the way every player was prepared to be out in the conditions just to get a much deserved team win.
The wet conditions didn’t allow us to go out on a big score, but we were able to show how much we had grown as a team.
Score: Benalla Red 5.20 (50) def Jnr Magpies 1.1 (7)
Goals: Hudson Pickering, Jack Hart 2, Louis Horne
Best: Jack Hart, Tom Snell, Becky Heatherill, Hudson Pickering, Sam Mount, Jackson Quarrell
U17
The Benalla under-17s wrapped up their season in courageous style on Saturday, securing a hard-fought, thrilling victory away against Myrtleford. With everything on the line in the final round of the home and away season, the boys played with incredible heart, skill, and determination from the opening bounce right through to the final siren to earn four well-deserved points.
While other results ultimately meant missing out on a finals berth by the narrowest of margins, the performance was a fitting capstone to a phenomenal year of growth. Throughout the season, this group demonstrated remarkable resilience, constantly driving high standards, buying into team structures, and going toe-to-toe with the top sides in the competition.
A massive thank you goes out to all the parents, trainers, team managers, volunteers, and dedicated supporters who poured endless time and energy into the team each week. Your unwavering support off the field made this season possible.
To the players, thank you for your unconditional effort, camaraderie, and the immense pride with which you represented the jumper every single week.
Score: Benalla 5.12 (42) def Myrtleford 5.3 (33)
Goals: Cash Nolen, Xavier De Fazio, Tom Mount, Jude Binion, Trevor Maru
Best: Harry Skelton, Noah Langlands, Josh Ward, Trevor Maru, Hugh Ross, Ryan White