Ben Cooney was Seymour's best in the thrilling two-point victory over Euroa. Photos: Wayne Herring
It may have been a day for ducks, but it was Seymour that reigned supreme at Kings Park, ensuring the faintest pulse remains in its 2025 campaign after snaring a nail-biting two-point victory over Euroa.
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The winners column shows Seymour came away with the four points, but sheds little light on how the game unfolded, which could be for the best, as conditions reduced the contest to an absolute slog, with the Lions barely holding on to clinch a 3.8 (26) to 3.6 (24) victory.
It was a dream start to the clash for the Lions, who headed into the contest with a win the bare minimum required if they wanted to keep their season alive, keeping Euroa scoreless while slotting 2.3 (15) in the opening quarter, with Cameron Osmond and Dylan Davis hitting the scoreboard for the home side.
The Magpies were finally on the board with a behind to start the second term and, despite going goalless in the first quarter, were soon seven points in arrears as Lachlan Hill slotted the visitors’ first major for the afternoon.
Nathan Beattie returned serve for Seymour soon after to re-establish a two-goal buffer and with scoring proving near on impossible with three behinds scored across the rest of the term combined, it was the Lions that led 22-9 as the two sides headed into the rooms for the main interval.
The second half wasn’t much of a spectacle, but in light of the impact the weather had on the contest, it still produced a hair-raising finish.
Lachlan Giles was among Seymour's best in wet conditions against Euroa.
With the first two scores of the third term, Euroa reeled in more than half of the 13-point margin it faced at half time, climbing back to within a single kick a little more than halfway into the third quarter following a Jack Walters major, the fifth goal of the entire contest to that point.
Seymour was unable to find the middle of the big sticks with its limited opportunities in reply, managing two behinds for the term to cling on to a seven-point lead as the coaches gave their final address at three-quarter time.
The fourth term started in exactly the same fashion as the third, with the Magpies finding a behind to this time draw within a single kick, as the desperation from both sides rose to new heights.
Nearly 20 minutes on from the opening score of the quarter, Jack McKernan fired home Euroa’s third major of the afternoon to tie things up at 24-apiece, as the visitor staked its claim for a gritty, come-from-behind victory in atrocious conditions.
However, Seymour wasn’t done yet and, despite putting two behinds on the board in nearly a half of football, managed to force the ball across the line twice for two behinds as the seconds ticked down, winning an absolute war by the skin of its teeth and maintaining the mathematical possibility of a finals berth.
Ben Cooney and Lachlan Giles were named the Lions’ best for their work under duress in the backline, with Nathan Fowler also among the best on a tough day for key position players, while Beattie and co-coach Jack Murphy were once again among the votes as they continue stellar individual seasons through the midfield.
Despite the win keeping the Lions’ season alive, the dream of finals football remains on life-support, with three games separating seventh-placed Seymour from Shepparton Swans in sixth with three games remaining in the season.
Even if the Lions were to win their next three and the Swans fail to win again, percentage remains a stumbling block, with the nearly 80 percentage points between the two sides all but ensuring Seymour will finish seventh.
They will have a week off to mull things over due to a split round 16, with the Lions next in action against Shepparton United on August 9.
