Shepparton Swans produced one of the biggest upsets of the Goulburn Valley League season on Saturday afternoon, downing Seymour by two points in a thriller at Princess Park.
Leading for almost the entirety of proceedings, the young Swans held their nerve through a gripping final term, seeing off a late Seymour charge to secure the 10.15 (75) to 10.13 (73) triumph.
The ball was firmly entrenched in the Lions’ attacking end when the final siren eventually sounded.
Inspired by an epic performance by B.J. Squire through the midfield and a fleet of youngsters including Zac Banch, Max Clohesy, Tyreece Collison and Joeve Cooper, Swans fans got an exciting glimpse into the future as they claimed their first genuine scalp of the season.
Shepparton Swans coach Andrew Riordan said the win served as a fantastic reward for the hard work his team had put in throughout the season.
“This win is just confirmation for us that we are on the right track,” Riordan said.
“We based our game on our pressure and effort around the ball and we matched them in that, and I also thought we were able to open them up a bit with our speed.
“I was pleased for these young guys to have that feeling of winning a game of GV footy against a quality opposition — the young guys we have in the side are so exciting and work super hard.
“It is super satisfying to take that scalp and is a bit of reward for effort after being very competitive against some of the other top teams.”
On a blustery winter’s afternoon in Shepparton, the Swans got the better of the start, kicking with the breeze to pile on the first three goals to an inaccurate Seymour’s five behinds.
Full of belief heading into the second term, the Swans continued to dial up the heat, with their speed on the ball and hard-nosed approach to the contest seeing them extend their lead to 18 points at the main change.
With its season seemingly slipping away in front of its eyes, Seymour needed to respond in the second half.
And in the early stages of the third term it did exactly that, booting three quick goals to hit the front.
But while most young teams would buckle under the pressure, the Swans rose to the occasion, wrestling back the momentum and pumping through three majors of their own in the shadows of three-quarter time to push the margin out to 23.
“I am super proud of how the boys stood up in that third term. They just showed a bit of character and experience beyond their years,” Riordan said of his team’s response in the third quarter.
“They (Seymour) are a really good side and we knew they were going to come, but for us it was our ability to get back to winning the contested ball that got the game on our terms.”
Once again with its back against the wall, Seymour picked itself up off the canvas in the final term, with the likes of Josh Alford, Ben Rigoni and Nick Quigg getting on top around the footy.
Three quick majors trimmed the margin to just seven points with 10 minutes to play, as the Lions threatened to pinch another season-saving victory.
This set up a frantic final few minutes, with a Swans goal almost putting an end to the Seymour cause, before Ben Clifton quickly goaled courtesy of a free kick to bring the margin within a kick.
As the clock passed 25 minutes, Seymour found itself deep in attack and looking like it could find the winner, before the Princess Park siren blew to the relief of the Swans faithful.
It was a true statement victory for this young Swans team and Riordan said he hoped his team could build on it over the final six weeks and finish off the season with a few more wins.
“Half the guys in our team would be teenagers and they are now beginning to show that they can thrive playing GV footy,” he said.
“A lot of our best players today were young kids, guys like Tyreece (Collison), Zac Banch, Zac Clohesy, Max Clohesy, which is a great sign for the club moving forward.
“This result gives us so much confidence moving forward and with a few winnable games in that last month we are hoping to pick up a couple more wins before the year is out.”
Although maintaining its spot in the top six due to Rochester’s loss to Mansfield, this result sets up a crucial three-week period for Seymour as it faces fellow finals contenders Kyabram, Mooroopna and Euroa, with one more loss having the potential to end its season.