Gallery | Lions prey on Swans with resounding victory, Cats and Bears prevail in close encounters

Lining up in the Goulburn Valley League A-grade netball first elimination final against Shepparton Swans, the Lions were ruthless from the first possession, cruising to a 66-47 win that showed all the signs of a team right in the hunt for a premiership, much to the delight of coach Casey Adamson.

“Yeah, absolutely (thrilled), to get a nearly 20-goal win in finals is awesome,” she said.

“I think the versatility we have in our team is probably something that not many other clubs have.

“So, yeah to be able to get out there and really stamp our authority, particularly in that first half, was really good.”

It didn’t take long for Seymour to separate itself from the Swans, with the pressure cranked right up from the opening whistle and goalers Ally Black and Ellie Fuhrmeister on song ensuring the Lions raced to a 10-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

The Lions continued to attack as Rosie O’Sullivan patrolled the midcourt in formidable fashion, creating multiple turnovers, while Sarah Szczykulski and Ruby Martin looked assured down back, making life difficult for the Swans attack, as Seymour went into the quarter time huddle with a handy 15-8 lead.

It was a sign of what was to come, as the Lions mounted immense scoreboard pressure on the Swans in the second term, on top of what they were already exerting on court, as three-second violations and wild passes became more frequent, and Seymour’s lead steadily grew to a game-high 20 goals by half time, essentially putting the game to bed with a 37-17 advantage at the main break.

The margin gave the Lions the opportunity to change things up in the second half, with multiple positional changes and players coming off the bench, and while the Swans rallied, they were unable to cut too far into the lead, reducing it by just one to eventually go down by 19.

It was an imposing performance from the Lions, which was done without Adamson on court, with the star centre ruled ineligible for the rest of the season after signing a Suncorp Super Netball contract.

But it is also what makes it all the more impressive, with Lucy Zotti stepping in to fill the void in centre with aplomb on Saturday, indicative of the wealth of depth within the Lions squad.

“I think coming in as coach I had a really big emphasis on making sure that we were developing our local girls,” Adamson said.

“Not necessarily for moments like this, because we didn't expect it, but to be able to give them opportunities to step up to A-grade consistently and perform.

“Particularly for Lucy (Zotti), she played most of the season at wing defence, I think prior to me not playing she had only played one quarter at centre.

“So for her to take that role on board, and then to have Liv Barry back from an injury which sat her out for six to eight weeks has been fantastic.

“We’ve got depth across our under-ages and our B-grade and B-Res to be able to sit on our bench and impact when they're needed as well.”

The victory makes it 11 wins and a draw from the past 12 games for Seymour, splitting the points with the unbeaten Shepparton and beating reigning premier Euroa within that run, strengthening the group’s belief, Adamson said.

“It gives us belief internally, but (that is) probably the belief that we've always had,” she said.

“I still don't think we're playing our most consistent netball, but that's really exciting for us coming into the finals to continue to build.

“But I also think, you know, there's probably a little bit of worry as well amongst the rest of the competition.

“Realistically, when people probably saw that I wasn't playing, they'd think, great, we can get on top of Seymour now.

“I think we've proved over the last couple of weeks that we're here to stay in finals and we are ready to step up to the fight, and it's anyone's game.”

In the second elimination final, Mooroopna caused somewhat of an upset in a tight two-goal thriller against the higher-ranked Tatura at Tatura Park.

Finishing fifth below the fourth-placed Bulldogs, Mooroopna jumped out to a two-goal lead at the first term in the face of a vocal Tatura home crowd, a lead they held onto at half time, but only just, ahead 17-16 at the main break.

The Cats would extend the margin to four goals by three-quarter time, and while the Bulldogs mounted a comeback, spurred on by the throng of supporters, fell just short, with Mooroopna holding on to clinch a 35-33 victory and send Tatura packing.

Shepparton continued its unbeaten run with a win over Euroa in the qualifying final on Sunday at Benalla Showgrounds, weathering multiple storms to clinch a 59-54 win over a valiant Magpies outfit in the first versus second clash.