GVL Data

GVL Data | Lions run off their feet by young Swans

By Zac Standish

Jul 19, 2022

Tough day at the office: Ben Cooney and his Seymour teammates struggled to curtail the run of the Swans’ midfield in Saturday afternoon’s loss at Princess Park.

It was a game Seymour simply could not afford to lose.

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Coming off six straight wins, the Lions had just made their way back into the Goulburn Valley League top six. And with a trio of clashes against finals contenders Kyabram, Mooroopna and Euroa on the horizon, banking a win against the eighth-placed Shepparton Swans was a must.

But as coach Ben Davey forecast in the lead-up to the game, the young Swans certainly weren’t going to be easybeats, with this being an assignment his team could not take lightly.

And unfortunately for Lions fans, that is exactly what happened, with the GVL Data report making for grim reading.

In 2022, Seymour’s staple has been its ability to take marks, sitting second in the competition for total marks per game at 99.1 and first in uncontested marks with 88.0.

But on Saturday afternoon this was far from a strength, as it registered just 54 for the game (its lowest total for the season), while Shepparton Swans recorded 97 to blow their season average of 75.1 out of the water.

Key stats

Swans uncontested dominance

Marks

Shepparton Swans: 97

Seymour: 54

Uncontested marks

Shepparton Swans: 89

Seymour: 37

Uncontested possessions

Shepparton Swans: 246

Seymour: 176

Handball receives

Shepparton Swans: 125

Seymour: 108

This large discrepancy in the marks category led to the Swans winning the uncontested possession count by a whopping 70 and recording a huge 125 handball receives, far exceeding their season average of 99.1.

And while Seymour eventually managed to get its game going in the final term, getting on top around the contest and owning field position to boot five goals and mount a serious challenge, it was that inability to stop the young Swans’ run on the outside that caused Seymour’s downfall.

At a glance

Lions’ final quarter fightback

Contested possessions

Shepparton Swans: 31

Seymour: 41

Clearances

Shepparton Swans: 9

Seymour: 6

Inside 50s

Shepparton Swans: 9

Seymour: 15

Goals

Shepparton Swans: 5

Seymour: 1

Despite the fact the Seymour midfield was soundly beaten by its youthful Swans counterparts, one positive it can take away was the performance of the ever consistent Jack Murphy.

Seemingly playing a lone hand on the outside of the contest, the hard-working onballer collected a team-high 36 disposals.

This included 22 uncontested possessions, 12 handball receives, 12 ground ball gets and seven rebound 50s, with the veteran being one of very few Lions to provide any run.