Ask anyone in football: 47 points is a hell of a head start to give up.
Granted, it’s hardly rare in the modern age of football to see a game that looks every bit a blowout after a quarter or two, only for an improbable surge to set up an unexpected grandstand finish - this weekend alone, it’s already happened twice in the AFL.
The part you don’t often see is the chasing team actually storm over the top and complete comebacks from the likes of 39 points, rather than merely making it close at the end.
Kyabram, in its Goulburn Valley League clash with Seymour at Kings Park on Saturday, went in with zero fanfare and zero headlines.
Given the nature of the occasion, this might have been understandable, but dynamic Bombers forward Anthony Depasquale went about flipping the script in a hurry.
By the 20-minute mark of the opening term, the words ‘David Mundy’ were spoken by virtually nobody around the ground after Depasquale tore the game open early with the first four goals of the contest off his own boot.
When all was said and done at the first change, the Bombers were 39 points to the good, shellshocking observers likely expecting something close to the opposite with Mundy’s inclusion.
The second term, safe to say, was quite unlike the first as Ben Davey’s side established a greater foothold on time spent in its forward half.
The only problem, of course, was the litany of blown chances around goal that would have made life that much easier time and again.
All told, Depasquale’s fifth major of the half served as a potential stake through the Lions’ hearts, contributing to a 33-point margin at the long break.
Coming out of the sheds, things turned around for real as a gunslinging trade of goals ensued through much of the third term, with the Bombers reaching that vaunted 47-point advantage shortly before time-on.
The man of the hour returned to the forefront of all who came to watch his homecoming, though, as David Mundy turned two consecutive goals at a crucial stage to restore a heartbeat for Seymour approaching three-quarter time.
Kyabram found itself arguably outgunned for the first time all afternoon, and a 29-point buffer at the final change didn’t seem entirely comfortable.
The final half-hour, to that point, was spent almost entirely in Seymour’s front half with the Bombers’ back six coming under sustained siege.
Clearing kicks to space gained metres in a less than meaningful way as the Lions recycled possession innumerable times, with Lewis Lubeck adding his team-high third goal to start the comeback.
Dylan Scopel combined with usual primary targets Nathan Fowler and Riley Mason to bring it to a single-figure margin, but the home side had simply left itself too much to do.
Kyabram co-coach Corey Carver was relieved to escape with a 13.8 (86) to 12.8 (80) victory, the Bombers’ third of 2024.
“We started really well, playing the football we wanted to play,” Carver said.
“We moved the ball fast and the whole team was playing their roles, but then Seymour got themselves revved up and away they went.
“They were winning stoppages way too easily. They were more desperate and they were running harder.
“In the end, we just held on. That’s all it was.”
In surmising Tatura ahead of their meeting next week, Carver knows gaining another ascendancy quickly is the key to avoiding an upset.
“You’d be hoping we could get on top early again, but we finished today without a bench and have a few guys sore,” Carver said.
“We’ll have to maintain that high standard, unlike today.”
In the opposite camp, Lions coach Ben Davey lamented a regrettable start with a highly inexperienced side at his disposal - minus the obvious veteran presence.
“What killed us was that we didn’t have to kill their momentum, we just had to make it hard for them, but that’s where we fell apart,” Davey said.
“Our blokes didn’t put their best foot forward in the first term.
“That’s where we’re at with our list; we had 11 blokes with less than 20 games, and we’re in the process of really developing our team.
“I can see what’s going to happen in the back end of the year and we’re going to be really good, but it’s got shades of two years ago when we started 1-5 and barely missed finals.
“Mooroopna at Mooroopna (next week) has been a tough ask, but hopefully we’ll get people back week by week.”
Besides Depasquale’s offensive efforts, Kyabram also had Liam Ogden, Jake Torney, Kaine Herbert and Aidan Robinson feature among its best.
For the Lions, honours went to Mundy, Lachlan Waite, Jack Murphy, Nathan Beattie and Jay Eager.