Seymour leaders get the message across before the first bounce. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Seymour’s Lewis Lubeck is brought to ground. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Seymour’s Riley Mason gets the kick over Rochester’s Hamish Hoopell. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Close, closer and closer still - the Lions are on the verge of stringing some results.
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An electric last half-hour handed Rochester a three-point victory in a tightly contested Goulburn Valley League meeting on Saturday.
It’s the second game in a row the Tigers have come from behind to win by a goal or less.
The fourth-quarter effort against Euroa in round seven was arguably more remarkable, yet coach Ash Watson couldn’t discredit Saturday’s gutsy showing against a David Mundy-inspired Lions.
“We’ve got full respect for Seymour, especially at home — they’re hard to beat there and they play that ground well,” Watson said.
Seymour’s Tom Davey takes a set shot. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
“Having Dave Mundy back also helped for them, (he’s a) fantastic player and they’ve got some good quality there.
Seymour’s Tyler Clarke puts some distance on the kick. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
“A couple of their on-ballers and (Riley) Mason up forward are handy players, so we knew they were going to be tough to beat down there.
Seymour’s Lewis Lubeck finds a way to control the mark. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
“We were really excited to get away with the win in the end.”
Seymour goes through its paces pre-game. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Seymour’s Huw Jones has a crack at goal on the run. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Seymour’s Lewis Lubeck is brought to ground. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour’s Tom Davey takes a set shot. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour’s Tyler Clarke puts some distance on the kick. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour’s Lewis Lubeck finds a way to control the mark. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour goes through its paces pre-game. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour leaders get the message across before the first bounce. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
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Seymour’s Huw Jones has a crack at goal on the run. (Photo: Wayne Herring)
Back at Kings Park with Mundy making his second appearance of the campaign, the Lions were hungry to overturn their early form slump.
After 10 minutes, there was a strong suggestion they would.
Cooper and Lewis Lubeck each kicked straight enough to hand Seymour an early two-goal buffer, but Rochester finally awoke as Mitch Trewhella, Bailey Wileman and Wil Hamilton hit the scoreboard late in the first term.
Seymour continued to barge back, kicking 3.2 to the Tigers’ 1.5 in the following exchange to take a two-point lead into the main break.
An evenly-keeled third stanza still had the Lions ahead by a hair’s breadth, but Rochester had saved its best push for last.
James McPhee went bang minutes after the bounce before Riley Mason restored the hosts’ advantage, but Wileman offered the final — and most significant — major of the afternoon as the Tigers held on for an 8.9 (57) to 8.6 (54) win.
“We were really pleased with the last quarter ... obviously I don’t think we played great footy for the day, but we showed a lot of heart towards that last quarter,” Watson said.
“Seymour was kicking to the scoring end and we were down by three points at three-quarter time, so we showed a lot of fight that last quarter to hold on in a close one.
“They had a shot after the siren, and it was just fortunate that it didn’t go through.”
There was plenty on the line for Seymour heading into the Rochester clash.
For Seymour, Mason hit the board twice, while Seamus Feery stood out on the losing side.
The Lions continue to agonisingly languish in 10th position at 1-6, albeit with a game in hand on the rest of the competition.
Up next for Ben Davey’s men is a meeting on the south side at Euroa, who has also recently fallen victim to Rochester’s late heroics.
Meanwhile on the netball courts, the Lions A-graders continue to go from strength to strength with a fourth straight win rewarded in the form of a top-four place.
Down by two goals at the half, Seymour kicked into full gear in the third term and rapidly dismantled the Tigers attack, eventually running out to a comfortable 59-44 win with a 5-2 record to go alongside.
The Lions’ meeting with unbeaten Euroa next Saturday shapes as one of the most tantalising contests you’ll find at any level of sport in the Goulburn Valley across the long weekend.
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