Don’t let Seymour players book a September holiday just yet.

While the Lions are still two games outside the Goulburn Valley League’s top six, their 24-point boilover win against current sixth-placed side Shepparton Swans on Saturday gives them every reason to believe they deserve a spot in this year’s finals series.

The early going was tense for both Swans and Lions as neither side could capitalise on blitzing end-to-end football, with either side determined to put pace on the ball when in attack.

A regrettable Swans skill error late in the first term gifted Riley Mason an intercept mark near the goal square, but all it handed was the Lions a seven-point buffer at quarter-time.

However, it was a moment that can be looked back upon as the turning of the tide in the contest.

While the scores remained stagnant in the opening 15 minutes of the second quarter, repeat entries from the Lions began to crack the Swans’ defensive line, and ultimately the dam wall burst, with Seymour’s Mason and Jack Peris combining for three goals in as many minutes, as the Lions rounded out the half suddenly 29 points ahead.

After a tough fixture in the last month, where Seymour have fallen flat against the top three sides Kyabram, Rochester, and Echuca, Seymour playing coach Jack Murphy was rapt with the reward for effort in the first half on Saturday.

“At halftime we gave our boys a pat on the back because we’ve had some disappointing quarters in recent weeks,” Murphy said.

“I also let them know that the Swans on their home deck are always going to come back.”

It was an important second message to deliver, as Shepparton delivered exactly that in what was a 38-minute quarter of finals-like intensity.

The Swans came out with hell-bent hunger for the football, but with every punch they threw, the Lions would strike back, in a demonstration of Seymour’s courage in the heat of adversity.

Jedd Wright’s side wouldn’t bow down though, and with a three-goal burst into the 33rd minute of action, two of which came from James Auld, the Lions’ five-goal margin had vanished to just one point.

It seemed destined that the three-quarter-time siren would sound, and the Swans would head into the break with all of the momentum in their favour, but the clock kept ticking.

Another minute passes and another minute passes.

Goal to Seymour’s Peris.

Another minute passes.

Goal to Seymour’s Mason.

Siren sounds.

All of a sudden, the Lions had wrestled back the game onto their terms and had a handy 13-point buffer at the final change.

It was this resilience that impressed Murphy most, as the Lions fought tooth and nail to remain ahead in the final term and deliver Seymour’s sixth victory of 2025.

“I think that’s something we’ll really take out of it, that they came back and we held off and then we responded again,” Murphy said.

“Sometimes at halftime if you have a decent lead and you kick away in the third quarter, you might not learn as much about yourself.

“So for them to kick back and then for us to have to go again, I think that’s really character building and something I’m really pleased about with our boys today.”

Collingwood VFL-listed forward Mason once again played above the level of the GVL, finishing the game with six majors in a welcome return to Lions colours.

“We love seeing him play VFL footy but obviously he’s welcome to come back and we open our arms and get him back in, because he’s obviously going to make our side so much better,” Murphy said.

“He was crucial for us, and I think his leadership has taken a massive step in the last couple of months since he’s gone down to Collingwood, so he brings that in.

“He brings energy, he’s a really well-liked guy at the club, so it’s not only the on-field stuff we get, it’s the off-field culture piece that he brings to our club too.”

The question now begs, can Seymour’s season roar back to life?

The Lions host top-six side Mansfield next week, but finish the year with a lighter draw beyond that, providing a glimmer of hope for September action.

“The reality is we’ve got to win at all costs,” Murphy said on the Lions’ home stretch.

“Unfortunately we’ve put ourselves in that position and we’ve got no one else to blame, so we’re just going to give it everything we’ve got for the last four or five games of the season and you never know what can happen.”:

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Monday, 28th August 2023

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