AS far as opening days of the season are concerned, Seymour couldn’t have asked for a better one to kickstart 2026 – four points away from home in both football and netball.
The Lions seniors got their season underway with a brilliant 53-point demolition of Benalla, thanks to a dominant third quarter which allowed them to kick away, while the heroics of returning key forward Riley Mason also helped.
Mason couldn’t have given the Lions a better start to the season with the first goal of the game four minutes in, and he helped get his teammates involved.
Lewis Lubeck added a second for Seymour in quick time, and he would soon have a second later in the quarter as the Lions got away to a seven-point lead at the first change, 22-15.
The start of the second quarter belonged to Mason as he helped kickstart the Lions’ charge, kicking two goals to extend the lead to 21 points.
Late in the quarter, three goals to stars Jack Murphy, Mason and Jack Peris helped extend the Lions’ lead to 33 points. But Benalla had a pathway to stay in the game with two late goals to keep the margin to a manageable 20 points at half time, 56-36.
After Ethan Maney reduced the margin to 14 points, the third quarter belonged to Seymour as it looked to put away the game in its entirety.
Mason kicked his fifth, while Peris added his second.
Later, goals to Tom Jeffrey, Jaron Murphy and Lubeck’s third meant the game was all Seymour’s at the final change, with the Lions leading 89-42.
Benalla started the quarter with two goals as it looked to close the gap, but it was party time for Mason as he kicked three goals in a matter of minutes to make it eight for the day, a mighty statement for the rest of the competition that the Lions’ main man up forward is well and truly back.
The 16.13 (109) to 8.8 (56) victory was an excellent result for Seymour, with Murphy and Mason starring, while Dylan Cook, Nicholas Quigg and Lubeck also put in good games.
Seymour’s reserves kickstarted its premiership defence in style, kicking away in the third quarter to take a 21-point win, 9.12 (66) to 7.3 (45).
Meantime, the under 18s had a dramatic draw, with both teams deadlocked on 8.8 (56) apiece after a low-scoring last quarter yielded just one goal to the Saints.
Seymour’s netball division had a terrific day, taking four wins from five games.
The A-grade enjoyed a comfortable victory first up over Benalla, winning 51-28, as did the B-grade, who was even more convincing in victory, winning 71-17.
B-reserve took a 49-32 victory, while the 17-and-under team won 48-35.
The only slip up for the afternoon was the 15-and-under team, which lost 12-51.
Overall, it was a day where Seymour could take a lot of confidence as it now travels to Deakin Reserve to take on Shepparton in round two.