Travelling to Tongala Recreation Reserve, the Saints, buoyed by a strong second half showing against Seymour in round one, entered the clash with plenty to prove, and were eyeing off an early season scalp, or at the very least another strong performance, as they continue to rebuild after a few lean years.
But Echuca proved merciless, dominating proceedings to hand Benalla a whopping 12-59 loss, with the Saints unable to find any answers to the Murray Bombers’ depth across the court.
A hot start to the contest saw Echuca pile on the first 12 goals to stun the Saints, who finally mustered their opening goal through Grace Thomas, however, the home side didn’t allow Benalla to work it’s way into the contest at all, again going on another big run to fire home the next eight before quarter time, leading 20-1 at the first break.
The Saints continued to struggle in the face of a formidable Echuca in the second term, adding just two goals to their tally while conceding 18, as they headed into the half time huddle staring down a 3-38 deficit.
Benalla managed to stem the bleeding somewhat in the third term, restricting Echuca to only 10 goals while adding five to its own tally, however the margin still increased to 40 goals by three-quarter time.
An 11-4 final quarter in favour of Echuca saw Benalla ultimately suffer a 47-goal defeat, with the Murray Bombers proving ruthless until the final whistle.
Thomas (four goals) and Heidi O’Halloran (12 goals) did their best inside the circle from limited opportunities, while Megan Morrison was tireless in her defensive efforts, pressuring the Echuca attack until the finalw histle despite the scoreline.
Benalla faces another tough opponent in round three when they host Euroa at Benalla Showgrounds, with the reigning premier unbeaten in the opening two rounds this season.
