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GVL | Red-hot Lions destroy hapless Bears in Kings Park massacre

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Good times: Seymour coach Ellie O’Sullivan was happy with her side’s performance. Photo by Zac Standish

Seymour made it five A-grade netball wins in a row on Saturday afternoon, dominating Shepparton from start to finish to record a compelling 69-32 triumph at Kings Park.

The victory sees the Lions maintain their stranglehold on top spot of the Goulburn Valley League ladder.

Cold and wet conditions could not stop the Lions’ juggernaut, with the 37-goal win sending an emphatic message to the rest of the competition.

Sporting an even spread of contributors across the court, Seymour coach Ellie O’Sullivan said her team’s success began with its defensive intensity.

“Our defensive game is really important to our overall outcome,” O’Sullivan said.

Eyes up: Shepparton’s Bree Robinson looks for a teammate. Photo by Zac Standish

“We’ve got big defenders in (Sarah) Szczykulski, (Nakita) Singe and (Casey) Adamson and they win so much ball for us that I think they provided the attackers with a lot of opportunities.”

A hot start proved the catalyst for the victory, with attacking duo O’Sullivan and Jess Lallo cooking early to convert 24 first-quarter goals.

Dominant performer: Jess Lallo continued her excellent season in attack for the Lions. Photo by Zac Standish

Leading by 17 at the first change, the Lions continued to grind Shepparton into the ground, not letting up on either end of the court.

Extending the margin at each change, the result showed the cohesion Seymour is currently displaying, with each player having extreme confidence in their teammates to get the job done.

“I think definitely the connection was there. I think in the first quarter we shot 24 goals. I think that’s probably a bit of a record for us, so we’re really proud of how we started the game,” O’Sullivan said.

“We probably didn’t put four quarters together but certainly we had a good start to the game.

“We’re trying to not get complacent. We know teams can come out on any given day and put out a really good performance, so we just want to stick to what we’re doing and hopefully keep putting a consistent game of netball together.”

Out in front: Ellie O’Sullivan was a constant presence for the Lions in attack. Photo by Zac Standish

For the Bears, Ashlee Cann, Caitlin Hill and Abigail Rowe stood out in what was a disappointing result for the sixth-placed side.

Seymour will be looking to make it six A-grade wins on the trot next week when it travels to Moon Oval for an intriguing clash against Rochester.

It was a similar story in B-grade, as the Lions cruised to a clinical 61-37 victory over Shepparton.

The Lions’ seventh win of the season has them sitting third on the table on level pegging with Mooroopna and Echuca.

B-reserve saw Seymour secure another dominant victory, as it flexed its muscles on both ends of the court to secure a commanding 52-20 triumph.

Although the side sported winners all over the court, Annika Sutherland was recognised as the Lions’ best as they maintained their spot atop the table.

The two junior clashes also resulted in victories for Seymour, with the under-17s annihilating the Bears 61-23 and the under-15s recording a comprehensive 43-22 triumph.