Seymour missed the opportunity to become the first team through to the 2022 Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball grand final on Saturday, falling to Shepparton United by four goals in a thrilling first semi-final at Mansfield Recreation Reserve.
After scoring the first six goals of the match, it appeared the Lions were well on their way to securing that prized grand final berth as they operated in perfect harmony.
But the experience and poise of the United unit saw it quickly wrestle back the momentum, with star shooter Jessie Barnes proving vital as the side managed to overcome the uber-talented Seymour squad and secure a 51-47 victory.
Now preparing for a cut-throat preliminary final against Mooroopna next Sunday, Lions coach Ellie O’Sullivan said she was confident Saturday’s loss was just a small bump in the road.
“I think we will re-group again this week and work out exactly where things didn’t go our way on the weekend,” O’Sullivan said.
“It was definitely a really top quality game of netball and we know against United that whenever we lose possession that they can easily score from it and we probably gave them too much ball.
“But I think using our opportunities going the other way was what cost us in the end. We got our share of turnovers, we just couldn’t turn them into enough scores.”
With a 24-goal loss to the Demons from a fortnight ago still fresh on its mind, Seymour started the game in ruthless fashion, converting the first six goals to get a crucial early break.
“I feel like from that first whistle we really fired and when I looked at the score and it was 6-0 I was like ‘wow, we have a bit of a jump here’,” O’Sullivan said of her team’s hot start.
“But at the back of my mind I thought it won’t take long for United to come back at us, and they worked their way into the game beautifully.”
For United, it was the combination of coach Kara Blizzard and Barnes in the attack end that helped the side settle and trim back the deficit, locking up the scores at 12-apiece at the first change.
The see-sawing nature of the battle continued into the second term, with both teams’ attack ends cashing in as a result of some slick ball movement.
But without stalwart Nakita Singe partnering skipper Sarah Szczykulski in the Lions’ defensive circle, the class of Barnes managed to reign supreme in the shadows of half-time, helping United take a slight two-goal advantage into the main change.
Some key tactical shifts from Seymour coach Ellie O’Sullivan helped the Lions spring to life early in the third term, with Casey Adamson’s move back to the mid court helping them re-take the lead.
“We were missing Nakita who usually plays in goal defence, so I thought with United usually being such an attacking team, we hoped Casey and Courtney could help us stop the likes of Jessie Barnes in their attack end,” O’Sullivan said of her tactical shifts.
“And I thought both of them in their respective times in the goal circle did really well to get their hands on some balls, and with Casey playing out of position a bit, she did an amazing job in defence before giving us a real spark when moving back into centre.”
But that is where the patience of United came to the fore, as it absorbed the pressure before mounting another charge of its own to swing the scoreboard back in its favour and take a three-goal lead into three-quarter time.
With just 15 minutes separating the two teams from a ticket to the big dance, intensity reached fever pitch as the experience of United began to take control and it extended its lead to six.
But just as it seemed United was destined for Deakin, Seymour mounted one last charge, closing back to within two to set up a grandstand finish.
That is when Barnes once again stood up for her team, converting some crucial goals late to hold on to the lead and secure a grand final berth.
Seymour’s attention now turns to a blockbuster preliminary final showdown with Mooroopna, with the Cats looking to continue their momentum after a slick 18-goal win over Euroa on Sunday.
Pitting the sides that occupied the top two positions on the ladder at season’s end against each other, O’Sullivan said her girls were excited for the challenge.
“It is really exciting to be playing Mooroopna again. It gives us a bit of confidence that we beat them two weeks ago, but in saying that, it is a do-or-die situation and it will be about which team adapts better on the day,” she said.
“We know Mooroopna are a strong side, so we will need to be at our very best to come away with the win.”