Seymour supporters were chewing their fingernails down to the quick in a stress-filled end to the game with Euroa.
The Lions showed why they are kings of the jungle in a tightly fought Goulburn Valley League contest at Euroa Memorial Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Seymour was able to hold on to its lead despite a late onslaught from the Magpies and claimed a 10.9 (69) to 12.10 (82) win.
Seymour’s hard-fought win was only made sweeter by Kyabram slipping up against Shepparton to leave the Bombers eight points adrift of Echuca and Seymour at the top of the table.
Jack O’Sullivan stood up for Seymour as he has done all season and earned himself another best-on accolade while Riley Mason and Joshua Alford led the Lions’ scoring with three goals each.
Jett Trotter was the main man for Euroa up front as he slotted five goals, but it was Ryan Pendlebury who was in top form for the Magpies.
As the game got under way it was Mason who kicked the first major, but Euroa’s Lachlan Hill responded with one of his own to start a string of quick goals from both sides.
The sides each had answers for the other’s questions and the quarter subsequently ended even.
In the second period, Mason scored the Lions’ first back-to-back goals but could not extend the streak into anything more significant before the Magpies fought back with a goal.
The quarter was a close affair once again with the Lions finding the edge and taking a five-point lead into half-time.
The Lions kicked into gear in the thrid quarter as the game opened up and the scoreboard turned over more regularly for both sides.
Seymour has shown throughout the season that its scoring sources can come from anywhere and this was epitomised by a different goal-scorer kicking each of the Lions’ seven goals.
Seymour finally looked like it had one over the Magpies and went into the final break with a 29-point lead, but Euroa came out fighting and held the once rampant Lions to a goalless quarter.
Euroa’s first major came in the middle of the quarter from Trotter, who then tried to single-handedly drag his team across the line.
Trotter proceeded to kick two more goals shortly after and the game looked to be on a knife’s edge.
However, the Lions were able to do enough to quell the barrage and clawed over the line with a 13-point win.
Seymour will not want its game to end in the same fashion next week at Kings Park when it takes on another top-five team in Mooroopna.