It wasn’t clean or pretty, but Seymour did what it had to do at Deakin Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
Seymour has had a 2024 season cruelled by close losses and injuries as the Lions have struggled to be the powerhouse they were last season.
Heading into this round 10 Goulburn Valley League clash against Shepparton United, the Lions had lost their last four games by an average margin of 10 points.
On a picture-perfect day for football, United had the perfect start to the match.
The Demons won the first clearance of the day, sending the ball deep inside 50, with United’s Ryan Calogero kicking truly to claim the first goal of the match in the opening 35 seconds.
However, Seymour responded quickly through the form of forward Lewis Lubeck, who took a strong mark deep in the forward line before snapping truly to even the ledger at 6-6.
The next 10-15 minutes turned into an arm wrestle before gun key forward Riley Mason had a five-minute purple patch for the Lions, kicking two goals and setting up another (Lubeck for his second) in the space of five minutes.
The quick burst from Mason gave the Lions an 18-point lead heading into the first break (13-31).
In the second term, United fought hard to get back into the match, kicking the first of the quarter through Sam McInneny, but the game turned into a stalemate, with neither side able to convert their chances.
A run of seven consecutive behinds occurred before Mason was able to break the deadlock and kick his third, before two further late goals to the Lions gave Seymour a 29-point lead at halftime.
Throughout the third term, the contest remained scrappy, but the physicality never wavered as both sides attacked the football.
Tempers flared as the end of the third term approached, with jumper punches thrown and words exchanged between the two sides.
United deserved to be closer than they were to the Lions, but it was a case of ‘shoulda-coulda-woulda’ for the Demons as their inaccuracy in front of goal hurt them badly - United kicked 4.10 across the first three quarters.
United coach Duane Heuston was proud of his side’s fight throughout the match but said the team’s inability to impact the scoreboard cost them.
“We didn’t take care of our opportunities early on,” he said.
“We were very stop-start, whereas, in the last quarter, you could see that once we got the ball moving and got our running game going, that’s where we played our best, and it looked very dangerous.
“The disappointing thing is we couldn’t get that going (for the whole game) and other teams are shutting us down pretty quick.”
In the final term, the Demons showed fight and dare as they were able to move the ball with speed across the ground and while Heuston’s side had a productive quarter in attack (kicked 35 points), it was too little, too late for United as the Lions won the match comfortably.
The final scores finished 9.15 (69) to 15.11 (101) in Seymour’s favour.
Despite the Lions’ tough first half of the season (winning two games from nine matches), Seymour coach Ben Davey is proud of how his side has fought in the face of adversity due to injuries.
“It’s definitely good to get a win; we have been battling for the whole year as our list is depleted,” Davey said.
“The one thing that hasn’t stopped every week is that our effort has been super.
“It’s really good to have Tom Maloney back; he’s back playing but still under a bit of duress; he dislocated his elbow in the second game (this season), so we have missed him terribly.
“Cooper Holdsworth-Rose is still an under-18 player, but he has been terrific; he played really well in only his third game, I think; that was his best game yet.”
One of the highlights of Seymour’s victory was the fluidity and productivity of its forward line.
Medium-sized forward Lubeck was busy all day and finished with five goals, while strong marking key forwards Mason and Nathan Fowler both finished the match with three majors.
Davey was happy with his side’s scoring power against the Demons - scoring over 100 points for only the second time this season - as the Lions coach said that cleaner entries inside 50 allowed for greater scoring.
“It’s been really difficult as the entries haven’t been great for the whole year,” he said.
“Today we were a lot better and a lot more direct, which is great because it gives them (the forwards) a lot better opportunity.
“Nathan Fowler has been great down there as well, gives us a target down the line as a big contested player, which has been great for us.
“I tell him (Mason) to go wherever he likes; he can go and swap with someone up on the wing, get up the ground and then come back forward; he can spend some time inside in the midfield, which is fine as well just to break it up.
“He is having a great year.”
Seymour will be hoping to make it two wins on the trot next weekend when it hosts Mansfield, while United will travel to Euroa.