Seymour co-coach Jack Murphy continued his impressive form at the weekend, racking up 38 disposals, seven marks and seven tackles in the loss to Echuca. Photos: Wayne Herring.
Seymour’s tough run against top-six opponents has delivered another blow, with the Lions beaten by the slick Echuca machine at Victoria Park on Saturday.
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Inaccuracy in front of goal from both sides saw a collective 30 behinds kicked for the afternoon, as Seymour fell 4.15 (39) to 10.15 (75) in tough conditions.
Making the trip to the border town, Seymour was on the back foot early, with Riley Mason — making his first appearance in a Lions jumper this season — slotting the visitors’ only goal in the opening term, sandwiched between a pair of Echuca majors, as the Lions trailed by 19 at the first break.
The Murray Bombers extended their lead after the break; however, a return of 1.5 to Seymour’s 0.2 saw the margin increase by just nine points despite numerous opportunities, leaving the Lions 27 points in arrears at half time, although lucky not to be further behind.
It was a much-improved effort in the third term from Seymour, which came out roaring to trim the margin to 10 points after consecutive majors to open the term.
Yet just as Echuca had done in the second term, the Lions squandered opportunities, recording 2.7 for the quarter, with a late goal to the home side adding insult to injury and extending the margin to 16 points at the final break.
From there it was all Echuca, with the Murray Bombers slotting four goals to Seymour’s one in the final term, blowing the margin out to 36 points by the final siren.
Collingwood VFL player Riley Mason impressed in his first game back for the Lions this season, clunking nine marks, including this pack grab, to go with 29 touches and two goals.
Nathan Beattie and Jack Murphy continued their stunning form as the two highest-rated players on the ground, with Beattie tallying 39 disposals, 11 marks and 15 tackles in a display worth 181 ranking points, while Murphy was similarly industrious with 38 disposals, seven marks and seven tackles.
Lewis Lubeck (16 disposals, six marks), Darcy Giles (14 disposals, 12 tackles) and James Wooster (26 disposals, 11 tackles) rounded out Seymour’s best, while Mason was the only multiple goal kicker for the Lions, booting two in his return to go with 29 touches and nine marks.
The Lions slip to 5-6 for the season following the loss, good enough for seventh on the ladder, equal on points with Shepparton in sixth although the 2024 runner-up has a game in hand.
Seymour’s brutal five-week stretch, which sees the Lions face the top five sides in the competition across rounds 10 to 14, continues against the unbeaten Kyabram on Saturday at Kings Park, where Seymour will be hoping to spring an upset on the Bombers and remain in touch with the top six.
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