Tatura did enough to hang on against a fast-finishing Dees outfit at Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve and in large part it was thanks to club stalwart Chris Ryan.
A 2012 premiership Bulldog, Ryan was instrumental in getting his side over the line with a mega performance across the ground.
Ryan had a season-high 43 hit outs to go along with his 18 disposals, 13 contested possessions and five score involvements in a best-afield performance.
Tatura registered 59 hit outs for the entire match — more than double its per game average of 23.8.
A staggering 19 of those hit-outs were to advantage as Tatura’s ruck stocks gave their onballers first use of the pill.
Tatura’s highest hit-outs tally in a match came in round five against Rochester when the Bulldogs registered 38, while the most to advantage before the weekend was five.
Key stats
Disposals
Shepparton United: 316
Tatura: 281
Contested possessions
Shepparton United: 111
Tatura: 137
Intercept possessions
Shepparton United: 50
Tatura: 59
Marks inside 50
Shepparton United: 9
Tatura: 14
Hit-outs
Shepparton United: 19
Tatura: 59
Inside 50s
Shepparton United: 43
Tatura: 42
Tackles
Shepparton United: 52
Tatura: 42
Clearances
Shepparton United: 34
Tatura: 30
Ryan’s final quarter was one that really caught the eye.
The key position tall amassed 20 hit-outs for the term and Tatura finished with 24 and eight to advantage.
Tatura was able to lean on that aerial dominance by winning the clearance count in the quarter.
When the game was on the line Tatura ended up recording 17 tackles, of its match total of 42, in the fourth quarter.
United won the inside 50 entries 10-7 for the fourth term but coughed up the ball 16 times to Tatura’s 10.
The visitors finished with 54 turnovers for the contest compared to United’s 66.
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