Huonville’s gutsy win has two-time champs facing tough run to make SFL finals

Where once they would have rolled over, this pride of Lions fought all the way to secure victory and leave the SFL champions’ title defence precariously placed.

Huonville’s Mathew Schenk was best afield in the Lions’ win over Lindisfarne. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

THE 2020 pride of Lions doesn’t roll over.

Huonville has extracted a tiny bit of revenge for last year’s SFL grand final loss to Lindisfarne with a courageous seven-point win at Huonville, 9.17 (71) to 9.10 (64), and in the process may have ended the two-time defending champs’ season.

In last year’s decider, the Lions were steamrolled in the last term on the way to a 65-point thrashing.

It looked like a similar case this round, with the Two Blues hitting the lead late in the last quarter through a Sam Adams major after trailing by five points at the last change.

But Huonville wasn’t about to give up this time, with Tristan Barnett taking a mark and kicking truly with less than three minutes to play before the fighting Lions held on to secure victory and take top spot — albeit having played an extra game.

Lions coach Tim Lamprill, never one to get overexcited in victory or defeat, was satisfied with the win.

“The boys really willed themselves across the line and worked really hard together and got the chocolates,” Lamprill said.

“You’d take that against the best side in the comp for the past five or six years.

“We executed slightly better (in that last quarter) and didn’t allow them to roll through the middle. They will hurt you on the rebound every time.”

Huonville’s Tristan Barnett Huonville kicked the go-ahead goal at Huonville defeated Lindisfarne in a thriller. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

The Lions set up victory in the second term, opening up a 26-point lead at the long break, before the Two Blues climbed back into the match.

The Lions did not have a multiple goal kicker for the match, but could only convert nine of 26 scoring shots.

Mathew Schenk on the wing was instrumental in the win, as were half backs Alex Vincent and Cameron Johns.

For the champs, it leaves them precariously placed in fifth spot with two wins from five games with matches coming up against New Norfolk, Brighton and Dodges Ferry.

“Obviously disappointing, they are always tough down here but we really set ourselves to take a big scalp and announce ourselves on the competition again and we let it slip,” coach Michael Cassidy said.

“We are still alive, but we’ve got to win our last three to make it which is going to be pretty tough.

“If we make it we can definitely go all the way.”

A five-goal haul to key forward Josh Fox enabled Cygnet to give New Norfolk its first defeat of 2020 as the Port banged on seven goals to one in the last term to go from four-point down to 32-point victors at a stunned Boyer Oval.

In other games, Hobart shored up its position in the top five with a 19-point win over Brighton at Pontville, helped largely by a seven-goal bag to playing-coach Alex Gilmour, while Sorell got its first win of the year, thrashing Claremont by 63 points.