A job Welsh done

By Hamish Donaldson

Aug 1, 2023

Midfield maestro: Benalla’s Chris Welsh was the main man for Benalla. Photo: Bruce Povey

The best leaders are those who inspire the people around them.

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Benalla’s captain, Christopher Welsh, had the whole team sending the ball through him on Saturday afternoon at Moon Oval as the Saints got back to winning ways.

Welsh had a stellar performance in the middle and the statistics tell the story of a player who was in charge of the game.

Christopher Welsh vs Rochester

Disposals — 30

Contested possessions — 11

Hard ball gets — 6

Marks — 9

Clearances — 7

Clearance efficiency — 100 per cent

Effective tackles — 5

Everything seemed to be going through the midfield maestro for Benalla as Welsh controlled the flow of the game and racked up 30 disposals.

Winning the difficult ball was a trademark of the captain’s play on the day as he won 11 contested possessions and came away with six hard ball gets.

Welsh’s consistency and strength has been vital to Benalla this season and it’s not a coincidence that the side’s best spells have come of the back of this.

The captain was perfect around the stoppages as he came away with seven clearances for the afternoon but what is more impressive is that he won all the clearances he competed in.

Benalla’s defensive prowess also started with the captain in midfield as he wrapped up rivals effectively on five occasions.

This performance shows that Welsh can be one of the most well-rounded performers in the GVL and when he is at his best Benalla is an all the more dangerous team to face.