And with five lead changes up to the 13-minute mark of the pressure-filled second quarter — after Darcy Giles’ running goal, one that handed the Lions back a 25-23 lead — it seemed Ben Davey’s men were up for the challenge of quelling the premiership favourite.
However, predictions of a round 12 thriller were swiftly quashed.
Riley Ironside’s first of five goals sparked an unanswered eight-goal run as the Bombers’ midfield brigade of Kaine Herbert, Jack Russell and the mercurial Mick Mattingly outworked their Lions counterparts.
Around the ground, Zac Norris outmuscled all and sundry in the ruck and down forward with two second-quarter goals, including a flashy mid-air soccer, to send Kyabram 31 points clear at half-time.
A furious Davey demanded accountability from his players at half-time with the game slipping away – instead, they watched as Mattingly stole the ball from the first centre bounce and bombed a long-range major within the first 24 seconds of the second half.
Unsurprisingly, that set the tone for the rest of the game, with Ricky Schraven, Nathan Beattie and Nick Dundon the only goal-scorers for the Lions as Kyabram piled on 11 goals to three after half-time to streak away to a 20.16 (136) to 7.8 (50) win.
Victory launches Kyabram two games clear at the top of the ladder.
Bombers coach Corey Carver was pleased with his side’s ability to withstand another challenger.
“Most teams have been coming hard at us early and trying to sustain that,” Carver said.
“We’re bringing it on and getting through it, which we were good enough to do today.
“Our game is don't rush and don't be forced to rush.
“We maintain possession, hold it, move the ball around, change angles … I thought we did that really well in the second and third quarter.”
The usual suspects earned praise from the Ky mentor, while Seymour's Nic Quigg, Lachlan Beattie and Jack Murphy battled hard in defeat.
Ironside’s second consecutive five-goal haul moves him to second in the goal-kicking with 36, more than doubling his 15-goal tally from the past three seasons combined.
“I thought Kaine (Herbert), Jack (Russell) and Mick (Mattingly) all played really solid games,” Carver said.
“Riley was brilliant in that forward half; he works his backside off defensively and then, because he's worked so hard at the contest, he wins it.
“He probably could have ended up with a couple more, to be honest, but he was good.
“Brad Whitford was probably our best defender; he’s a really good player most weeks, to be honest.”
Kyabram now heads into the split-round bye with a 12-0 record and questions abounding about who might be able to knock the Bombers off.
Seymour has dropped a game behind sixth-placed Shepparton, with Euroa also breathing down its neck only a game shy of the Lions.
· Kyabram’s reserves, also sitting pretty on top of the ladder, came away with a hard-fought 13-point victory over Seymour.
And it was ably led down forward by a flag champion from the Bombers’ golden run of the mid to late 2010s.
Kayne Pettifer donned the red sash for the first time since the 2023 elimination final and showed he hasn’t lost a step, booting a game-high five goals on return.
