Although the result went the other way, we may have witnessed one of the all-time single-game player performances in country footy.
Benalla star ruckman Mark Marriott finished the day with not only the best performance of the game, or round, but the best performance of the 2024 Goulburn Valley season from a ranking-points perspective.
Thirty disposals (21 contested), seven marks, eight inside 50s, nine clearances, two goals, 13 score involvements and 52 hit-outs (among others), is good enough for a grand total of 229 ranking points.
“Thirty possessions as a 210cm ruckman, he doesn’t only just get our mid’s first use, he’s like an extra onballer,” Benalla coach Jarrad Waite said.
“He’s been so important to us; he’s obviously been extremely critical to the way we’re going.”
Mark Marriott’s stat line against Seymour
Disposals: 30
Contested possessions: 21
Inside 50s: 8
Clearances: 9
Goals: 2
Ranking points: 229
The previous best posted by a GVL player in 2024 was a dominant display from Euroa’s Will Hayes.
Hayes posted 53 touches, 10 tackles, nine clearances and a goal of his own en route to his Magpies handing Tatura a 94-point belting in round 12.
That particular day was worthy of 225 ranking points, just falling short of Marriott’s round-16 efforts at Kings Park.
However close those ranking points numbers are, the context of the game sets Marriott's performance apart.
While Hayes’s 225-point effort in Euroa’s commanding win was a masterclass, Marriott’s stat line came in the midst of a fiercely contested battle in which every possession counted.
It’s no easy feat to rack up the numbers in the way Marriott did, especially when your team is under pressure and fighting from behind all day.
Not to diminish Hayes’s incredible display, but Marriott’s ability to produce such an outstanding performance in a losing effort truly speaks to his individual brilliance on the day.
He simply couldn’t have done any more to influence the final outcome for his side.
“You’d like to have a couple of ‘em,” Waite said with a laugh.
“He’s been phenomenal this year, he’s so important to us.”
