Lions prey on Swans with resounding victory

Lining up in the Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball first elimination final against Shepparton Swans, the Lions were ruthless from the first possession, cruising to a 66-47 win that showed all the signs of a team right in the hunt for a premiership, much to the delight of coach Casey Adamson.

“Yeah, absolutely (thrilled). To get a nearly 20-goal win in finals is awesome,” she said.

“I think the versatility we have in our team is probably something that not many other clubs have.

“So, yeah, to be able to get out there and really stamp our authority, particularly in that first half, was really good.”

It didn’t take long for Seymour to separate itself from the Swans, with the pressure cranked right up from the opening whistle and goalers Ally Black and Ellie Fuhrmeister on song, ensuring the Lions raced to a 10-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Lions continued to attack as Rosie O’Sullivan patrolled the midcourt in formidable fashion, creating multiple turnovers, while Sarah Szczykulski and Ruby Martin looked assured down back, making life difficult for the Swans attack, as Seymour went into the quarter-time huddle with a handy 15-8 lead.

It was a sign of what was to come, as the Lions mounted immense scoreboard pressure on the Swans in the second term, on top of what they were already exerting on court, as three-second violations and wild passes became more frequent and Seymour’s lead steadily grew to a game-high 20 goals by half-time, essentially putting the game to bed with a 37-17 advantage at the main break.

The margin gave the Lions the opportunity to change things up in the second half, with multiple positional changes and players coming off the bench, and while the Swans rallied, they were unable to cut too far into the lead, reducing it by just one to eventually go down by 19.

It was an imposing performance from the Lions, which was done without Adamson on court, with the star centre ruled ineligible for the rest of the season after signing a Suncorp Super Netball contract.

But it is also what makes it all the more impressive, with Lucy Zotti stepping in to fill the void in centre with aplomb on Saturday, indicative of the wealth of depth within the Lions squad.

“I think coming in as coach I had a really big emphasis on making sure that we were developing our local girls,” Adamson said.

“Not necessarily for moments like this, because we didn’t expect it, but to be able to give them opportunities to step up to A-grade consistently and perform.

“Particularly for Lucy (Zotti), she played most of the season at wing defence. I think prior to me not playing, she had only played one quarter at centre.

“So for her to take that role on board, and then to have Liv Barry back from an injury which sat her out for six to eight weeks, has been fantastic.

“We’ve got depth across our under-ages and our B-grade and B-Res to be able to sit on our bench and impact when they’re needed as well.”

The victory makes it 11 wins and a draw from the past 12 games for Seymour, splitting the points with the unbeaten Shepparton and beating reigning premier Euroa within that run.

Adamson said it strengthened the group’s belief.

“It gives us belief internally, but (that is) probably the belief that we've always had,” she said.

“I still don't think we're playing our most consistent netball, but that's really exciting for us coming into the finals to continue to build.

“But I also think, you know, there's probably a little bit of worry as well amongst the rest of the competition.

“Realistically, when people probably saw that I wasn't playing, they'd think, great, we can get on top of Seymour now.

“I think we've proved over the last couple of weeks that we're here to stay in finals and we are ready to step up to the fight, and it's anyone's game.”

B-grade

In B-grade, the top-of-the-table Lions suffered a cruel one-goal loss at the hands of second-placed Euroa, going down 41-42 in the qualifying final at Benalla Showgrounds on Sunday.

Seymour found itself behind from the jump, with a four-goal deficit at quarter-time carrying over into the main break, which they entered behind, 20-24.

A strong start to the third term saw the Lions draw level, and even a goal in front, however Euroa managed to reinstate its lead, leaving Seymour behind by two with a quarter to play.

Despite the margin creeping out to five goals early, the Lions roared back late, coming within a goal of the Magpies, however they were unable to get any closer, eventually going down by the slimmest of margins.

They live to fight another day, however, with the top-spot finish affording them a second chance, which they will aim to take this weekend against Echuca.

B-reserve

It was relatively straightforward for the B-reserve Lions in their qualifying final against Shepparton United, claiming a strong 45-36 victory at Benalla Showgrounds on Sunday.

Leading at every change, Seymour saw its five-goal lead at three-quarter time climb as high as 12 goals in the last term, before the Demons managed to bring it back to single figures late.

Having dropped just one game all year, the Lions are widely tipped to feature on the final day of the season and have put themselves in prime position to get there.

Under-17s

Seymour’s under-17 netballers have been bundled out of the finals following a tough outing against Mooroopna on Saturday, going down 21-40 in their elimination final at Tatura Park.

Having sneaked into the post-season in sixth, the Lions were ready to shake things up and were right in the mix at quarter-time on Saturday, trailing the Cats by just three goals at the first break.

Unfortunately, third-placed Mooroopna proved too strong from that point, extending the margin to nine goals by half-time, and further still by the final change, leaving the Lions too much of a deficit to overcome in the fourth term.