Seymour has survived an almighty scare from Shepparton to keep its unbeaten record alive in the Goulburn Valley League.
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Trailing at the last break, the Lions piled on seven goals to two and stormed home to win by 31 points against a determined Shepparton outfit.
The 11.19 (85) to 8.6 (54) triumph at Deakin Reserve keeps the Lions locked in top spot after six rounds this season.
The battle between first and last on the ladder surprised many.
In a low-scoring opening half, a young Shepparton contingent brought the fight to the visitors.
Wayward kicking hurt the Lions, but the Bears - led by Bryce Stephenson and Stuart Hobijn-Allen - were able to stick with the undefeated outfit and trailed by a solitary point at half-time.
Shepparton hit the lead in the third term and held a slim four-point buffer at the last break.
But a sublime best-on effort from Jack Murphy (three goals) was enough to get the Lions over the line in the last term.
Seymour coach Ben Davey praised the performance of Murphy and revealed what was said to his charges at the last break.
“The message at three quarter-time was that we didn’t need to change much of what we were doing, just use the ball a bit better,” Davey said.
“We had to play like we had been for the first four weeks of the season and we were able to do that.
“Jack's last quarter was outstanding, but he was one who didn’t drop off at all.
“It was probably the best four-quarter game I’ve seen him play for Seymour.”
Davey also gave credit to the Bears.
The home side had multiple teenagers leading the way, with young stars Achoung Agog, Matt Pellegrino, and Orien Kerr providing support to the likes of premiership heroes Mitch Brett, Anthony Andronaco and Nick Allan.
“They (Shepparton) were really good,” Davey said.
“I tried to tell my guys before the game that the news during the week about Shepp not having twos for a couple of weeks and them struggling had to be put aside.
“You’ve got to focus on what they’ve got – which is still some really good players – not what they might not have.
“I think we got a bit caught up in that early on, especially after two really tough, physical games in a row ourselves.
“You’ve only got to be five or ten 10 per cent off in this league to give someone else an opportunity to beat you, and it ended up being a real grind.
“They’ve got lots of good kids and blokes who have played 10 years of GV footy, so everyone is collectively under-rating them at the moment.”
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