Seymour dominates decider to be crowned B-reserve premier

It was the Magpies who made the hot start to the contest, converting off the first centre pass of the match, however, the Lions soon asserted themselves, with Shona Gesler and Chloe Locke capitalising inside the shooting circle to put through the next five goals to make an early break.

Euroa finally broke the streak of unanswered goals, however, the Lions continued to forge ahead, with their full court coverage forcing turnover after turnover, extending the lead to 10-2 midway through the term and, while Euroa would score before the break, each possession was looking laboured and Seymour roared out to a 15-4 advantage by the quarter-time siren.

It looked as though the Lions would deliver on their dominance throughout the year to convert an easy triumph, but Euroa, which had defeated the Lions in the second semi-final a fortnight before, didn’t wilt and began to claw its way back.

Seymour widened the margin to a game-high 19-8 lead early, yet the Magpies dug deep to respond, slowly but surely cutting the lead as the crowd became more vocal by the minute, coming within six goals at 16-22 with a few minutes remaining before the half, although a missed shot on goal stalled Euroa’s momentum, with the Lions taking it down the other end to go up 23-16 at the main interval.

The intensity had gone up a notch and Euroa had lifted, however, Seymour looked to put a dent in the charge as the two sides took to the court for the third term.

Pushing the lead once again out to nine goals, but the Magpies were hanging around, cutting the lead back to six with a flurry of goals.

However the Lions looked like they had plenty in the tank, again easing out to a 32-23 lead with minimal effort by three-quarter time.

It would take something incredible for the Magpies to claim the win from nine goals down, however, they made the brightest possible start, opening the scoring in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to eight goals and looked to carry on with it from there.

Within a matter of minutes, however, Seymour had put the result beyond doubt.

Skipper Casey Drummond was patrolling the midcourt brilliantly, scrapping for every single possession alongside Layne Lewis and Grace Barry, providing brilliant feeds to the goalers, who converted with accuracy to blow the lead right out to 16, allowing the Lions to soak in the final few minutes before the siren sounded.

And while it was a full team effort, with all seven on court working in unison for the entirety of the clash, special plaudits were reserved for Ruby Trimble in goal defence, who shut down any Euroa foray forward with great effect to win the best-on-court medal, to go alongside the Gaye Eaton Medal she won as the GVL B-reserve best-and-fairest last week.

Coach Cindy Newcomen was thrilled at the final siren, with her charges having turned a minor premiership into the main prize for the second year running.

“It was amazing, we were a bit nervous because the last time we played Euroa we lost,” she said.

“Our girls have played in the grand final and won it last year, so we knew what it took to get it done and I’m really proud of their efforts, we are really excited.”

While 2025 has been another strong year for Seymour’s netballers as a whole, with the B-grade side also making the grand final and the A-grade side bowing out in the prelim, Newcomen paid tribute to her special B-rReserve group.

“The B-reserve girls are really the life of our club,” she said.

“They play because they love the game and they love our club and we are really blessed to have them.”