A great attack is what wins you a game. A great defence is what wins you a premiership.
Seymour co-captain Dylan Scopel stood up in his team’s backline on Saturday afternoon at Mansfield Recreation Reserve in the Goulburn Valley League, eptiomising what it is to lead by example.
Coach Ben Davey emphasised how important the leadership group, especially Scopel and co-captain Lachlan Waite, has been in fostering an environment where anyone can step up and lead.
“We’ve got a leadership group full of personalities and the group is at a stage where everyone can have some input and everyone is listened to,” Davey said.
“Everyone feels like their input is important. Everyone respects each other and their opinion, it’s just another mark of improvement and maturity.”
Scopel’s performances constantly fly under the radar in terms of being recognised on the best players list, a testament to his ability to make those around him shine.
On Saturday afternoon, however, the spotlight was on him.
Dylan Scopel vs. Mansfield
Disposals: 20
Contested possessions: 9
Ground ball gets: 7
Intercept possessions: 11
Tackles: 2
Smothers: 2
Intercept marks: 5
Twenty disposals was just the beginning of an all-round performance and 65 per cent of his offloads hit their intended target.
Scopel shined as he racked up nine contested possessions and got the ball off the ground on seven occasions.
His work off the ball is just as impressive. The co-captain almost had a sixth sense of where the ball was going to go and took 11 intercept possessions.
When focusing on defence, Scopel's two tackles and two smothers should not be overlooked, while his five intercept marks goes to show why opposition teams think he is everywhere all the time.
With Scopel leading by example, Seymour continues to look the real deal.