That changed on Saturday as the Lions made it four wins on the trot with a comprehensive victory over reigning premier Shepparton to go flawless through the month of June and, in doing so, making fourth spot on the ladder their own.
Hosting the Bears at Kings Park at the weekend, the Lions were relentless in attack, seizing the lead with authority in the first term and widening the margin at every break as they romped to a statement 76-37 victory.
It was a tense start to the contest as the Bears, who entered the clash on a four-game slide, managed to match the Lions in the opening five or so minutes, however Seymour soon found a break to go ahead 8-5 and didn’t look back from there.
Further runs of four and three unanswered goals saw the Lions’ lead quickly race out to nine goals, before a late Kim Borger goal — her 12th of the term — cut the lead back to eight as Seymour entered the quarter-time huddle ahead 20-12.
But while the Lions had taken a handy lead at quarter-time, they seemed intent on ending the contest in the second term, going on a monstrous run.
Once again the Bears hung in to start the quarter, going goal-for-goal, but while the Lions were only able to string together small scoring chains in the first term, they did the damage all at once in the second quarter, piling on 13-straight goals to push the lead beyond 20 before half-time, stunning the Bears and putting the game to bed, ahead 43-22 at the main break.
It was an astonishing performance from the Lions, with Ruby Martin and Ally Black both on song under the ring and coach Elle Nexhip controlling the midcourt with aplomb, while goal keeper Toni Bootland managed to quell the influence of the dangerous Borger, who saw the court with the grand final-bound Melbourne Vixens in the Suncorp Super Netball league as recently as a fortnight ago, restricting her to only four goals in the second term.
But the onslaught continued after the break as the Lions sensed the opportunity for a percentage boost and kept the foot firmly planted, extending the margin out to 28 at one stage through the third term to lead 60-35 at the final change, while another huge fourth quarter saw the Lions lead by as much as 33 goals, before eventually claiming the 29-goal victory.
Martin earned best-on-court honours for her display at goal shooter, scoring 39 of Seymour’s 76 goals, while Black wasn’t far behind, also named in the best after pouring in 31 goals at goal attack.
Nexhip was again supreme in the midcourt, rounding out Seymour’s best, as the Lions tightened their grip on fourth spot on the ladder.
With their fourth win on the trot, the Lions improve their record to 8-4 to sit two games clear of the next best side in Tatura, with the fifth-placed Bulldogs’ loss at the weekend ensuring Seymour has some breathing space heading into the season’s final third.
The Lions seemed to have clicked in the past month, averaging a huge 73 goals per game and an average winning margin of 34, although admittedly that figure is warped by the 96-12 victory they enjoyed last weekend over a struggling Kyabram outfit.
Seymour will no doubt look to continue that momentum across the final six rounds of the season, starting with Benalla this weekend at Kings Park, ahead of a favourable run home in which the Lions face only two sides above them on the ladder.
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