Seymour big man Tom Stapleton was among the best in the Lions’ tight win over Mansfield. Photos: Wayne Herring.
Under immense fire as the clock ticked down and with the lead less than a goal, Seymour’s leaders stood up in a big way on Saturday at Kings Park, with some immense acts deep in defence ensuring the Lions once again pulled off a thrilling victory.
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Hosting a Mansfield side that welcomed a number of players back into the fold at the weekend, the Lions once more showed plenty of character in grinding out victory, weathering a flurry of late attacks to deny the Eagles in a thriller, emerging ahead 13.17 (95) to 13.12 (90) after what was an enthralling tussle.
Celebrating vice-captain and former senior best-and-fairest Nathan Beattie’s 100th club game, Seymour dominated early as the home side peppered the goals in the first term. But while it entered the quarter-time huddle ahead, it was by only four points despite a dominant term, recording 2.7 (19) to the Eagles’ 2.3 (15).
Both sides found their radar in the second quarter, with a mammoth 11 goals kicked between them as the ball pinged from end to end.
Consecutive goals to Jesse Brock, Tom Jeffrey and Ben Cooney made it three straight to open the quarter, and four on the trot for the match, as the Lions traded exclusively in majors to open up a game-high 21-point advantage.
Mansfield closed the deficit back to single figures with the next couple via Max Mahoney and Sam Thomson. The returning Tom Maloney, a former Box Hill VFL premiership player, halted the visitors’ momentum slightly with a goal in his first game for Seymour since 2024, but the Eagles soon turned up the heat.
With the next three consecutive goals, Mansfield edged back ahead by a solitary point, showing it was well and truly up for the fight, but it was an advantage that would be short lived, as Seymour kicked the final two of a see-sawing term to carry an 8.12 (60) to 7.5 (47) lead into the rooms after what had been an entertaining half.
However, the lead evaporated almost immediately as the second half got under way, with Jack Marks and Samuel Guppy pulling Mansfield back to a point behind with the first two scores of the third term.
Murphy hit back to extend Seymour’s advantage to seven points, before another pair of consecutive Eagles goals handed the visitors a five-point lead.
Tom Jeffrey launches a set shot towards goal.
Tom Stapleton drew the Lions level before the two sides traded goals to end the quarter, with the final scoring shot a behind the way of Seymour, giving the home side a slender 11.14 (80) to 12.7 (79) lead at the final change.
While scoring had been free in the second and third quarters particularly, it dried up in the final term, with the contest developing into a tense affair dominated by stoppage.
Seymour skipper Jack Murphy, who was enjoying an inspired outing, once more reclaimed the lead for his side with a fourth goal of the afternoon, Mansfield having scored two behinds to open the term, before the Eagles once again pulled level at 87-apiece as William Hogan booted his second.
The Eagles edged a point to the good as the clock counted down, but another VFL gun on return gave Seymour the lead.
Werribee star Bior Malual, in his second outing for Seymour this season, was the beneficiary of a downfield free kick directly in front of goal after Maloney copped a shove square in the back, and duly converted, giving the Lions a five-point lead with a few minutes remaining.
While they wouldn’t be headed from there, it took some special efforts in the back half to preserve the lead.
Streaming inside 50 and with two targets presenting at the ball, Mansfield looked for all money to be having a shot at goal in the dying stages, but a courageous marking attempt from Huw Jones back with the flight ensured the ball was instead locked up for a stoppage.
Seamus Feery kicked multiple majors in the win over Mansfield on Saturday.
A bone-crunching, run-down tackle from Dylan Cook shortly after as the Eagles chained together handballs inside 50, and a desperate tackle again from Jones on the goal line as a Mansfield shot fell short on the siren, embodied Seymour’s relentless desire to win in the final few minutes, as the Lions once more scrapped to a magnificent victory.
Murphy was named best afield for Seymour in the win, having booted a game-high four goals while also tearing it up through the middle, closely followed by Jones, who was inspirational in defence.
Stapleton was also named among the most influential, as was Maloney, both booting a goal, while Cook continued his strong run of form to receive yet another nod in the best.
Feery was the only other multiple goal-kicker with two majors for the Lions, while Darcy Giles, Tom Jeffrey, Brock, Cooney and Malual each booted one.
The win tightens Seymour’s (10-4) grip on third spot on the ladder, now two-and-a-half games clear of fourth-placed Shepparton Swans with four games remaining, and will head to Memorial Park to take on Euroa this weekend looking to make it six wins from the past seven outings.
