Lions triumph in a thriller
The Goulburn Valley League’s B-reserve netball competition ended in thrilling fashion on Sunday, with Seymour edging out Mansfield in the grand final.
In a cracking end-to-end game of netball, the Lions managed to come out on top, producing a 46-41 win.
Much like the rest of the game, the first quarter was close, with Seymour scoring the opening goal before Mansfield made its way into the contest.
The Eagles built a three-goal buffer towards the end of the term, with the side taking a twogoal lead into the first break.
In the second quarter, things continued in the same fashion, with an arm wrestle of a contest exciting a vocal crowd.
It was there where the Lions drew ahead, with the squad — led by best-on-court wing attack Casey Drummond — reversing the scoreline to enter the main break two goals up.
When the teams returned after half-time, it was one-way traffic as the Lions built a threegoal lead, however this did not last long.
Mansfield drew level once again soon after, with the Eagles’ hunger helping them take a one-goal lead into the last change.
Yet it was Seymour which started the final term well, moving the scoreline to 34-30 in its favour.
Mansfield made its way back into the contest, drawing ahead by a goal. But in a game of momentum swings, the match remained in the balance.
This was where Seymour stood up, with the Lions’ shooters Ashlyn Webster and Drummond — who had moved forward — clinical in the ring to help their side win by six goals.
Speaking after the game, Seymour co-coach Courtney Aldous said it was exciting to get the win.
“We had that mindset from the start of the season, so to get it done and have that job achieved is insane,” Aldous said.
“They’ve worked so hard the whole year and it’s very well deserved.”
Aldous said the hard work Seymour had put in throughout the season had paid off, with Mansfield a tough opponent on the day.
“They (Mansfield) were definitely ones to watch in finals,” she said.
“They put on a really good performance and we just had to give it our all, give it everything we could and throw everything at them, but we hung on.
“The lead changed so many times. We put on a good show for the crowd.
“We’re very grateful to have all of our footballers, all of our families come down and support us.”
Picking up the best-on-court gong on the day was Drummond, with the talent playing both in the mid-court and attack.
“She’s just a workhorse,” Aldous said. “She’s our captain, she leads from the front and doesn’t stop all day and sets that bar for the rest of the team.”
The win caps off a great year for the Lions, with the grand final win consolidating the club’s minor premiership.