Avenel’s finals hopes have taken a significant blow following a 41 point defeat to a clinical Shepparton East side on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors outclassed the home side with a dominant 13.9.87 to 6.10.46 win at Avenel Recreation Reserve, delivering a clear message about their own finals ambitions.
The Swans showed early fight and physicality, particularly through a strong tackling game in the opening quarter.
Coach Josh Delaney was vocal in his praise at the first break, urging his side to build on the pressure and force Shepparton East into uncomfortable positions.
“Our hard tackling is where the pressure is up, we need to take advantage of that,” Delaney told his players.
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“But be mindful of their spare guy in the middle, that’s what’s getting them out of trouble.
"Force them down the line and make a contest.”
However, the visitors adapted quickly.
Their structured ball movement and ability to utilise their loose midfielder cut Avenel open through the middle of the ground, allowing Shepparton East to control the tempo and build scoreboard pressure with each passing quarter, despite the best efforts of Jack Myers, Dylan Ryan, and Tim Dundon who were among Avenel’s best.
Shepparton East’s class shone through, whilst Joshua Webster was the Swans’ most dangerous up forward, finishing with two goals, while Jason Harvey, Jack Myers, Angus Norris, and Nathan Woods added singles.
The loss sees Avenel slip to seventh on the ladder with just six games remaining in the home-and-away season.
With the finals race heating up, their upcoming match against Violet Town becomes a season defining fixture, as both teams cling to hopes of a top six finish.
Elsewhere, Rushworth delivered one of their most comprehensive performances of the season, thumping Violet Town by 64 points in a high scoring contest, 18.14.122 to 8.10.58.
Joshua Robertson led the charge with three goals, while the Tigers had no shortage of contributors in front of goal, including James Herring, Ashly Hobbs, Ash Hockey, Tim Ross, and Mitchell Saunders.
Herring was particularly impressive, not only impacting the scoreboard but working hard across the ground to help stifle any momentum from the Towners.
The heavy defeat drops Violet Town to ninth on the ladder and puts their finals campaign in real jeopardy.
Nagambie kept their finals hopes alive with a hard-fought 15 point win over Stanhope, 13.13.91 to 12.4.76.
In a game of momentum swings, the Lakers held their nerve thanks to strong showings from Tom Barnes and Mark Nolan.
The victory cements Nagambie’s position in fourth, setting up a huge contest next week against the red-hot Shepparton East.
Longwood had the bye but face a tough assignment next round when they host Rushworth, with the result likely to shape whether they can keep pace with the finals contenders.
With just over a month remaining in the regular season, the pressure is on for clubs like Avenel, Violet Town, and Longwood to find form fast — or risk watching the finals from the sidelines.
