Sport

GVL Data | Rochester suffers heartbreak against Saints

By Alexander Dabb

Jun 4, 2023

Heartbreak: Rochester lost their round eight matchup against Benalla by just two points, despite dominating a number of key stats. Photo: Bruce Povey Photo by Bruce Povey

Rochester fell just short of recording its second win for the season, going down by two points to Benalla in an absolutely thrilling final quarter.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

The Tigers dominated a number of key statistics, however their return of 1.7 in the final term cost them dearly, as Benalla kicked 4.2 to take the win.

In the middle, the Tigers were led once again by Joe Atley, who recorded 18 of his side’s 53 clearances, while Benalla could manage just 35 of its own.

Rochester also dominated the contested possession count, collecting 146 to the Saints’ 120, while also winning the total disposal count (+2).

The Tigers won 45 intercept possessions (+8), but also turned the ball over 56 times as opposed to Benalla’s 54.

A key differential was the pressure output of the sides, with Benalla recording an overall pressure rating of 119, beating Rochester’s 100, and was also +17 in pressure acts (54 to 37). The Tigers made their tackles stick, however, recording 41 effective tackles, a stat they rank second for in the competition with an average just shy of 41 per game.

In the end, scoring efficiency played a big role in determining the outcome of the game, with Benalla’s 77 per cent accuracy proving too good for Rochester, who recorded an accuracy of 66 per cent in front of goal.