Hosting eighth-placed Shepparton Swans at Kings Park on Saturday, the Lions were looking to put some distance between themselves and the chasing pack to make qualifying for finals a little more comfortable heading into this weekend’s final round.
But despite leading at every break, the Lions were pipped at the death, going down 42-43 in the dying stages and leaving them to face a must-win clash against fourth-placed Tatura this weekend.
All looked to be going smoothly for the Lions early on Saturday, having got the jump initially on the Swans. Shepparton drew level midway through the first term, before a flurry right on quarter-time saw Seymour once again creep out to a three-goal margin to lead 12-9 at the first break.
A dominant start to the second term quickly saw the margin out to five goals in favour of Seymour, with the home side continuing to push the pace and lead by as many as seven goals with a few minutes remaining in the half, although the visitors were able to close the deficit down somewhat to give the Lions a 23-20 advantage at the main break.
The Swans carried that momentum into the third term and by the midway point had taken the lead, outscoring the Lions 8-3 to edge ahead 28-27. But Seymour managed to regain its standing, closing out the quarter strongly to lead 34-33 at the final change.
With a powerful start to the final quarter, it looked as though the Lions had an extra gear the Swans couldn’t match as they opened up a three-goal lead again at 41-38 with only a few minutes remaining.
But the visitors erased the deficit in the blink of an eye and against the run of play to square things up yet again at 41-apiece with the seconds ticking down.
The Lions went ahead again off the following possession, which was matched by the Swans, however the final centre pass of the game was turned over by Seymour, and the Swans made no mistake, scoring the final goal of the contest to hand the Lions a 42-43 defeat.
There was still plenty to like from the Lions in the loss, with Bridie Cantwell named Seymour’s best in the narrow defeat after a superb showing at goal defence, closely followed by coach Elle Nexhip, who was once again supreme through the midcourt, and shooter Ruby Martin, who sunk 33 goals.
The loss leaves Seymour in a vulnerable position heading into the final round, with fourth to ninth on the ladder separated by only a game in a remarkably tight competition.
The Lions sit fifth with a 9-8 record heading into the final round, level with Tatura ahead and both Mansfield and Shepparton below, while the Swans sit half a game further back and Shepparton United a full game behind, setting up a scintillating round 18.
It is win or bust for the Lions, though, with a loss more than likely not enough for them to progress given Mansfield, Shepparton and Shepp Swans all play bottom four opponents this weekend, and any two of those sides winning, combined with a Seymour loss, would be enough to end the Lions’ season.
