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It didn’t culminate in a finals appearance, but Shepparton United sure weaved its influence on the Goulburn Valley League A-grade standings in August. With the leadership of playing coach Shinea Sali, the Demons forced Echuca out of a week one double chance in the A-grade finals, defeating the Murray Bombers in round 17 of the GVL season. It followed another underdog victory for the Demons against Tatura in round 16 - a loss that would be costly for the Bulldogs who missed out on finals altogether, squeezed out on the last match day of the home and away season. A stable weapon in wing attack, Sali helped shape the Demons’ goal scoring opportunities to lead to these two wins. United’s 49 goals against the league’s number one defensive side Echuca is 14 more goals than the Murray Bombers conceded on average per game in 2026, while United’s 53 against fourth-best defensive side Tatura is 11 more than the Bulldogs conceded on average in 2026. The Demons’ month finished off with an unusual big loss to Mansfield by 20 goals - Shepparton United lost by more than 10 on only two other occasions - but it did not take away from a stellar previous fortnight from Sali’s women in navy blue and red. And if Sali is leading the Demons in 2027, the hunger to feature in September will be backed by belief they can beat the comp’s best sides after Sali produced a coaching masterclass to end United’s season.