A dismal second term — which saw the Lions pile on four unanswered goals — and inaccurate kicking served as the catalyst for the Swans’ downfall, with the final score reading 9.7 (61) to 6.14 (50).
The result now leaves Avenel vulnerable to a straight sets departure as it prepares for a semi-final showdown with dark horse Shepparton East on its home deck next week.
Reflecting on the match, Swans coach Kasey Duncan said it was one critical lapse that cost his team in the finish.
“Once again it was the tale of dropping off for one quarter that really hurt us,” Duncan said.
“We dropped off significantly in the second term and that really put us on the back foot, and then in the second half we missed a lot of easy opportunities in front of goal.
“But at the end of the day, bad kicking is bad football and that is what cost us in the end.”
In a battle between two of the KDL’s premier sides, intensity was up from the opening bounce with a spot in the preliminary final up for grabs.
The teams traded blows in a riveting opening quarter, with missed opportunities in front of the sticks seeing Avenel take a slender lead into the first change.
But the Swans rued those missed opportunities in the second quarter as the Lions got right on top around the ball and made the minor premiers pay with a four-goal onslaught.
“We just dropped our pressure. In the first quarter we had all the play and missed those goals, giving them a sniff in the second,” Duncan said of the poor second term.
“And to Stanhope’s credit, they made us pay. They lifted their pressure, their hunt around the ball, and made the most of our lapse.
“We made some crucial mistakes with the ball which helped give them goals, and that ended up being the difference in the game.”
Four behinds in the opening term, before another two in the second, had the Swans well and truly behind the eight-ball as they entered the second half 22 points down.
But as all good sides do, Avenel rectified its lacklustre start and dragged its way back into the game after the break with three goals to Stanhope’s two.
Entering the last quarter just eight points adrift with all the momentum on their side, it appeared as if the Swans would charge home to a spirited come-from-behind victory.
But poor kicking got in the way of the fairytale ending, with a return of 1.5 in the final term to Stanhope’s 2.2 seeing them fall by 11 points.
“We certainly had our opportunities (to win the game) in the last quarter. We got within three points and then we missed some easy ones and they were able to get us on the counter-attack,” Duncan said.
“At the end of the day, that’s just all part of footy. We just weren’t able to capitalise on our opportunities.”
Prolific on-baller Mitch Tobin was the standout for the Swans, dominating through the midfield to be dubbed best afield, while Daniel Clarke, Lachlan Watts and Kyle Maynard were also gallant in the loss.
Now set for an epic do-or-die clash with Shepparton East, Duncan said he was confident his team would provide a strong response.
“The game we had up there earlier in the year was probably one of the better ones we’ve had for the season and we came away from that with a good win,” he said.
“We take a lot of confidence from that result, and we will be looking to play a similar brand this weekend and attack the game with an all-or-nothing attitude.”
After a week off, Nagambie will be looking to back up its epic elimination final victory over Violet Town with another upset against Lancaster at Central Park Recreation Reserve.
The match is set to take place on Sunday afternoon with the opening bounce at 2.15pm.
