THE Mansfield Eagles were defeated by a formidable Seymour on Saturday, losing by 20 points at King’s Park. After their crushing loss against Rochester in Round 10, the Eagles were hoping for a convincing win against the mighty Lions. Their aspirations looked to come to fruition in the first quarter, with four goals before the first siren. Some brilliant manoeuvres and handballs put the Eagles in a fighting position and Mansfield led by 10 points by the end of the first quarter. Seymour snapped back in the second, with two goals of their own, blocking multiple conversion attempts by Mansfield. A red card for Mansfield’s Cody George and a compound fracture for Patrick Marks in the second quarter left the Eagles undermanned and vulnerable. The Lions wasted no time taking advantage and pounced with a spectacular display of pressure and grit. The Lions' second-quarter effort put them just two points ahead at halftime, sending waves of cheers down Kings Park. The fight continued in the second half with Mansfield duo Brett Mahoney and Dirk Koenen performing flawlessly. However, their efforts were not enough to stop Seymour who powered home thanks to goals from star player Riley Mason. Final scores saw Seymour triumph 13.16 (94) over a depleted Mansfield 11.8 (74). Best on-field for Mansfield were Brett Mahoney, Dirk Koenen, Nathan Buchanan, Billy Hogan, and coach Jack Hutchins. Meanwhile, stand-outs for Seymour were Riley Mason, Nicholas Quigg, Tom Maloney, David Mundy and Jack Murphy. Mansfield Eagles coach Jack Hutchins said the loss was characterised by “missed opportunities". "I’m particularly proud of how we played in the first quarter, we had some really strong plays and pressure,” he said. "Unfortunately losing two men really cost us and we ended up missing a lot of opportunities and not converting when we should have been. "But to the boys' credit, they carried on and we are looking to come back stronger next time.” It was a melancholy day for all Eagles’ fans on Saturday with the Eagles reserves and U18s both losing their matches. The reserves suffered a bitter 66-point loss and while the U18s endured a painful 49-point loss at Kings Park. The Mansfield Eagles have a break this weekend and will face Shepparton in Round 12 on Saturday July 6 on home ground.
