You would be a lying Lion if you said you predicted this result a month ago.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Round seven of the Goulburn Valley League saw Shepparton host Seymour at Deakin Reserve.
Turn back the calendar by 30 days and this pair of clubs were in polar opposite situations.
The Bears were fresh off their third consecutive dominant victory of the season and charging towards premiership favouritism.
Seymour, on the other hand, was floundering and had just suffered its third loss of more than six goals to start the year.
However, by the time Saturday afternoon had arrived, the gap between the Bears and Lions had tightened.
Shepparton had lost two on the trot for the first time since 2023 and Seymour had found its rhythm after three victories had been pencilled into the win column.
The Lions’ Ricky Schraven opened proceedings with a major for the visitors before the Bears’ second-ruck Zac Metcalf secured his side’s first for the day minutes later.
Seymour coach Ben Davey must have had his charges practising their vocal routines during the hour-long road trip up the Goulburn Valley Highway because his boys were singing early.
The Lions kept the usually-potent Bears to a minute two goals by half-time, doubling their score at the main break 15-30.
And while Seymour’s defence kept its dour approach in the third term, its forward line clicked into gear as the Lions saluted four times for the quarter compared to the Bears’ one.
Essendon VFL-aligned stars Jack Peris and Nic Quigg were lethal for Seymour as the Lions outran and outgunned their maroon-and-gold rivals.
Davey credited his star midfielders as key factors in the Lions’ impressive performance.
“Nic Quigg was really good around the stoppage work, he is getting stronger all the time,” Davey said.
“We don’t get him much because he is an Essendon-listed VFL player, but when he comes back to us it’s terrific.
“Jack Peris has been really good, he has fit in really well and he has got some serious speed and when he is around the ball you can tell something is going to happen.
“A couple young fellas that have come to the club and have really started to find their feet in Darcy and Lachie Giles, they are really exciting to watch.
“Ben Cooney’s last quarter was outstanding in the backline.”
Even with a 10-shot quarter to finish, the Bears were too far gone to stage a mighty comeback as the visitors were left purring with a 7.11 (53) to 10.9 (69) victory.
The loss is Shepparton’s third defeat in a row as the Bears sit far away from where they want to be in the premiership hunting pack.
Heading into the contest, Davey said his players could sense — as a lion’s belly rumbles when it spots a lost gazelle — the chance to claim a mighty scalp.
“We knew it was a bit of an opportunity,” he said.
“We knew coming off a loss they would be keen to get back on the winners’ list and we knew how good their rucks and midfield is.
“We thought if we could level out around the stoppage stuff, and not let their tails get up, then we would be a real chance.”
Seymour’s slow start to the year can be put down to the young and inexperienced nature of the side, according to Davey.
The Lions’ leader said watching the development of his young brigade was why he loved his role coaching alongside Jack Murphy, who celebrated game 150 for Seymour on Saturday.
“We know the talent is there and there will be ups and downs with it. As coaches, me and Jack are just rapt when we see our players put together four quarters,” he said.
“That is the best thing about footy, I reckon, when you are coaching players and you see them start to live up to what they can actually do. It’s exciting stuff.
“Jack is co-coach this year and he is doing an outstanding job.
“There is always that balance of playing and coaching and I definitely didn’t want to overload him with that, but he has taken to it like a duck to water.
“Flip over to his football and I don’t think there are too many going better than him at the moment. He is playing as a midfielder and he is vital for us and is kicking goals as a midfielder.”
Shepparton sharpshooter Lewis McShane continued his fine season in attack, booting three goals to sit clear first on the league’s goal-kicking tally with 25.
Seymour trio Nathan Fowler, Lewis Lubeck and Thomas Wardley all contributed two goals.
Next weekend, the interleague bye arrives at a perfect time for Shepparton as it looks to break out of its funk, while Seymour will take the weekend off with a Cheshire Cat-style grin on its face as the Lions know they have got their season back on track.