Round 10 of the KDFL produced plenty of talking points, with ladder leader Nagambie suffering a shock loss to Murchison-Toolamba in one of the biggest results of the season so far.

Avenel also showed plenty of fight after a slow start against Shepparton East, working its way back into the contest after being put on the back foot early.

Meanwhile, Longwood returned to the winners list, overcoming a slow start against bottom side Merrigum to claim an important victory and strengthen its place inside the top five, with Violet Town having the week off with the bye.

Avenel showed plenty of fight after quarter time in their 16.19 (115) to 12.8 (80) defeat at the weekend.

Shepparton East came out firing from the opening bounce, piling on eight goals in the first term to take a commanding 51 to eight lead at quarter time.

The Eagles’ ball movement and ability to stretch the ground caused Avenel early problems, with the Swans left chasing from the outset.

Senior coach Joshua Delaney said the opening term was disappointing and gave Shepparton East too much control of the contest.

“Yeah, disappointing with the way we started,” Delaney said.

“We were second to the ball from the first bounce and Shepp East showed their class with how they moved the ball and were able to stretch us very early on.”

From quarter time onwards, Avenel was able to settle into the game and produced a much stronger contest.

The Swans made some adjustments around the ball and began to win more of the footy, while also lifting their defensive pressure to force Shepparton East into errors.

“After quarter time we made a few minor adjustments that helped us start getting the ball into our hands first and being able to apply pressure on them and force mistakes,” Delaney said.

“Our lack of defensive pressure made them move the ball out the back of the contest pretty seamlessly early.”

Avenel responded with four goals in the second quarter, reducing the margin to 35 points at half time, then continued to chip away in the second half, adding three goals in the third term and four more in the final quarter.

Although Shepparton East was able to keep the scoreboard ticking over, Avenel’s effort after the first change was a clear positive.

Delaney said the response from his players showed strong character.

“We took a few positives out of the game, the way we just kept fighting after quarter time and keeping our game plan simple enough that it was slowly clicking,” he said.

“We knew we didn’t have to kick a lot of goals in a quarter, we had to keep chipping away at the deficit.”

Delaney led from the front with four goals, while Alex Crnko was also dangerous with three majors.

Benjamin Gillett, Chayse Thomson, and Crnko were named among Avenel’s best, while Delaney also praised the influence of those that count.

“I was impressed with our leaders to stand up when we needed to,” he said.

“It became pretty daunting looking at the scoreboard being seven goals down, but to keep the belief in the group is a fantastic characteristic to have.

“Players like Chayse Thomson, Benji Gillett, Nathan Torney, and Clayton Salmon were fantastic all day.”

Despite the loss, Delaney said he was pleased with the way the group was developing and learning more about each other each week.

“I’m absolutely happy with how our group is developing and how we are understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

“We are learning each week about ourselves and areas we need to improve on.”

Avenel now turns its attention to Merrigum, who sits on the bottom of the ladder.

But Delaney said the Swans would not be taking the contest lightly.

“This week a four-quarter effort is required and that needs to be the focus for the rest of the year,” he said.

“I know Merrigum’s position on the ladder is on the bottom, but we know as a club they will be fighting to the end of the game.

“They are such a proud club and we know their best will give us a great fight to the end.”

Avenel is also set to regain some important players, with captain Tim Dundon, Zac Hill, Corey and Brayden Avola, and Neeson Cook expected to return from injury, while Henry Ashworth is back from suspension.

Delaney said while Avenel had set high expectations, the immediate focus was on putting away opposition.

“Chalking up the wins is more important for us at the moment.”

Around the league, Murchison-Toolamba came from behind to defeat ladder leader Nagambie 13.8 (86) to 10.10 (70), despite four goals from Lucas McKinnon.

Longwood strengthened its hold on fifth spot with a 92 to 58 win over Merrigum, with William Pointer kicking four goals and Jye Formosa, Flynn Cook, and Dillon Hardy among the best.

In A Grade netball, Shepparton East defeated Avenel 60 to 35, Nagambie proved too strong for Murchison-Toolamba 51 to 24, while Merrigum defeated Longwood 61 to 23.

Violet Town had the bye in both sports.