Having bounded into the top six with a 4-0 record in the past month of football and coming off the back of a huge victory over 2024 grand finalist Shepparton, the Lions were heavy favourites heading into the clash against the Cats, who had recorded one win from seven games in a tough start to their campaign.
But Seymour failed to fire a shot, conceding ground at every change to ultimately hand coach John Lamont’s troops a 13.12 (90) to 6.4 (40) victory.
“Yeah, very happy,” Lamont said.
“We realised Seymour had been playing good footy, won four on the trot, I think. We just thought they’re in the same division as us (with a lot of) young players, and we needed to hit back hard after a disappointing result against Kyabram a fortnight ago.
“Our blokes started well and maintained their intensity for the whole four quarters, won each quarter and were really consistent, I thought, in their approach to the footy and their ball use and their support to each other.
“It was a really pleasing effort, they played four quarters of footy, so it was good.”
It was one-way traffic in the opening term as the home side peppered the goals, but for little reward, registering seven behinds, finally breaking through with a major to Logan Campbell, before Fraser McElhinney made it two on the bounce as the Cats opened up a 19-0 lead.
Seymour co-coach Jack Murphy pegged one back for the visitor to reduce the margin to 13 points at quarter-time, but alarm bells were already ringing for the Lions, and it was about to get worse.
The first three goals of the second term — one to the impressive young gun in Oscar Emanuelli and a pair to Jed Woods — went Mooroopna’s way as the Cats continued to dominate proceedings, the margin ballooning to 36 points in the blink of an eye.
While the Lions managed to find an avenue to goal before the half-time siren, the Cats remained 27 points to the good, with the visitors having to play catch up and fighting to remain in the game.
By three-quarter time, however, the result was essentially decided, with another three-goal-to-one quarter from Mooroopna giving the Cats a 9.11 (65) to 4.2 (26) advantage with a term to play, and with the second victory of the year in sight, there would be no letting up.
It was another impressive showing in the fourth term as the Cats kept the foot down, slamming home four goals while restricting Seymour to two, winning all four quarters for the first time this season en route to the eventual 50-point victory.
The effort was there defensively too, with 6.4 (40) far and away the lowest score the Cats have conceded this year, which Lamont puts down to a combination of increased focus on defence, but also the ability to control the ball.
“It was probably a blend, we had a fair bit of the footy and our ball use and system was pretty good, our method, I thought, so that made it hard for Seymour to get it back,” he said.
“Like most coaches, you’re always speaking about defensive acts and defensive efforts at some stage during the week, and we talked about being desperate to defend and help each other defend, make it a true team defence, and it’s a little bit easier if you are controlling the footy...
“We just kept going, and so all I had to do as coach was just remind us at the breaks, remind us of certain things, and full credit to our playing group on the weekend, what they brought, and then what they maintained, you know, they were still going hard at the end.”
A turbulent off-season that saw mass player departures has meant there is a focus on youth at Mooroopna this season, with five under-18 players lining up for the seniors on Saturday and, while there is a little bit of cohesion beginning to show, it’s not exactly a fairytale.
“I said to someone the other day, ‘I’m not Rumpelstiltskin’… Rumpelstiltskin had the ability to weave straw into gold overnight, so I’m not Rumpelstiltskin, I can’t do it overnight,” Lamont said of his young charges.
“As a coaching group, we can’t do it overnight with young players, it just takes time, and sometimes you take a step or two forward and then you have to take one back, and that might be week to week or quarter to quarter, so yeah, it’s not an overnight thing.”
Despite the challenges the Cats have faced early this season, Lamont retains a positive outlook on where his side is at.
“For a coach that’s 2-6, and I’m an experienced coach, so I have a handle on things, but I’m as happy as a coach could be at 2-6,” he said.
“The youth, the roles that they’ve taken on, the leadership from the older guys, with the mass departures, guys have had to step up and take on a leadership role because they haven’t got better quality players around them.”
Ben Hicks was named best-on-ground for the Cats in the win, joined in the best by Jed Woods and Kobie Issell who each booted three, while Ethan Hunt and Will Wood rounded out the most influential.
Mooroopna will look to keep the momentum rolling into round nine, although it faces a stern test in three-time reigning premier Echuca, with the Murray Bombers defying a lengthy injury list to defeat a previously unbeaten Shepparton Swans at the weekend, while Seymour will look to rediscover its winning ways when it hosts Benalla at Kings Park.
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