When two of the Goulburn Valley League’s heavyweights do battle, the rest of the competition sits up and takes notice.
The traditional Anzac Day round clash between Seymour and Euroa at the weekend was no different, with Echuca scouts certain to scour the results — and stats — for any intel.
Both the Lions and Magpies will be there when the whips are cracking at the end of the 2023 campaign, so what did their round three fixture look like on the GVL Data stats sheet?
In terms of team statistics, six-goal victor Seymour continued its trend of marking dominance around the ground.
The Lions were +25 in total marks and +20 in uncontested marks.
Undoubtedly this also contributed to Seymour’s win in the possession stakes, +39 in total disposals and +33 in uncontested disposals.
But the kicker — pun intended — was Seymour’s effectiveness with ball in hand.
Seymour had 33 more effective kicks than Euroa and, while overall disposal efficiency was comparatively on par between the two sides, the Lions’ 71 per cent to the Magpies’ 64 per cent by foot was decisive.
Euroa won the pressure acts by 17 and inside 50s by 11, but the side was also +10 in fumbles, +15 in total turnovers and +16 in forward 50 turnovers.
Individually, Ben Rigoni was superb for Seymour with 36 disposals, 15 contested possessions, nine clearances, eight tackles and 15 score involvements, while Nathan Beattie had 28 disposals, 16 marks and 12 score involvements.
Will Hayes had another 35 disposals, seven clearances, seven tackles and 10 inside 50s for Euroa, while Andrew Smith had 29 hit-outs, four clearances and eight score involvements.
TEAM STATISTICS
Disposals: Seymour 334, Euroa 295.
Uncontested disposals: Seymour 219, Euroa 186.
Marks: Seymour 99, Euroa 74.
Uncontested marks: Seymour 82, Euroa 62.
Inside 50s: Seymour 38, Euroa 49.
Turnovers: Seymour 52, Euroa 67.