Seymour v Kyabram
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Round 10, 2015, at Kyabram Recreation Reserve
Kyabram 9.14 (68) lt Seymour 10.10 (70)
A horror second quarter in front of goal opened Kyabram up for defeat in this match, with the Bombers’ efforts of 2.10 to 1.1 coming back to haunt them by match end.
But it was also a fighting effort from Seymour which should be equally highlighted - the Lions came back from 21 points down at three-quarter time to win by two points.
With the Lions coming off an 80-point thrashing at the hands of Shepparton Swans the week before, the coveted scalp of a top-two side was even more meaningful.
With scores level at quarter-time, Kyabram could have run away with the match in the second quarter, but only found itself ahead by 16 points.
The Bombers proved more accurate in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to hinder a late Lions run in the fourth quarter, with Xavier McMahon kicking the match-winning goal.
Seymour coach Brent Colbert put the result down to effort.
‘‘Not everyone wanted to be a superstar out there, everyone just wanted to play their role,’’ he said.
‘‘It sounds cliched, but look what happens - we were lining up on blokes who we knew they probably had more ability than us, but we were going to back our effort and the results followed.’’
Avenel v Girgarre
Round four, 2018, at Avenel Recreation Reserve
Avenel 9.3 (57) lt Girgarre 15.8 (98)
Girgarre’s 41-point victory against Avenel had the Kangaroos and Swans starting their 2018 campaigns in different positions.
Off the back of a grand final and preliminary final appearance in 2016 and 2017, Avenel started its season 1-3, while Girgarre, which had been pushing for finals in recent years, got off to a flying start by winning three of its first four games.
The match was a story of two halves, with two points separating the sides at the main break, before Girgarre ran away with the match in the second.
Girgarre’s Antonio Barca was a force up forward with four goals, while Ashley Kirchhofer starred.
And despite being heavily tagged, Avenel’s Michael Morgan was his side’s best performer.
Ultimately the loss didn’t hurt Avenel’s finals chances, with the Swans regrouping to sneak into the top six, while Girgarre’s season faltered, losing six of its last eight matches to miss out on finals once again.
Nagambie v Merrigum
Grand final, 2014, at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve
Nagambie 18.12 (120) d Merrigum 13.7 (85)
In the biggest match of 2014, the league’s top two teams faced off for a fourth time that season.
But after losing the previous three matches against Merrigum, Nagambie finshed the year off right, claiming its 10th KDL flag.
While the result – 35 points – seems straightforward enough, it was a massive effort from the Lakers to rebound from a first-quarter falter.
The match almost looked over by quarter-time after Merrigum kicked nine goals to one in the opening term to bulldoze ahead by 46 points.
When asked about Nagambie’s chances at quarter-time, Lakers coach Linc Sullivan said: “I didn’t doubt them but I thought, ‘Jesus, they’ve got some mountain to climb’.”
The Lakers answered the call, kicking eight unanswered goals to attack the second half four points ahead.
Nagambie then solidified its push by winning the all-important premiership quarter before taking the match by the scruff of the neck to comfortably run out the match and claim the flag.
Patrick Rattray was a star down forward for Nagambie, finishing with five goals, while Brett Connors was also dominant, kicking three.