Seymour’s attacking mindset went out the window early in the third term and Kyabram pounced.

‘‘We wanted to help (Trent Fisher and O’Keefe) out so we changed up a few things but unfortunately the young fellas took it upon themselves to change their game,’’ coach Shane Robertson said.

‘‘We lost our way and when a player loses their way it’s cancerous with young fellas. The mental toughness lapsed, we brought the Kyabram outsides (midfielders) into the game and they were waiting for an opening.

‘‘I’ve got a lot of belief in this group but I believe the group didn’t believe they were where they were at half-time. They didn’t believe they were level with a quality side.’’

The Lions had gone into the long break a goal down after a flying start in which the Seymour midfielders dominated, fed by Brandyn Grenfell winning the hit outs. Brendan Liddell and Robbie Douglas were among the best on ground in the first term.

Almost as impressive was the second half of the second quarter, after the Bombers had kicked four goals in the first eight minutes. O’Keefe was moved to Newman and was a match for the Kyabram star, cutting off his supply of too-easy marks inside 50.

But there were some shining lights for the Lions in a forgettable second half. Hugh Robertson continued his recent excellent form, and while Harry Wheeler might have been the smallest player on the field, he was close to the toughest in the contests.

‘‘Robbo’s work ethic is enormous and I’ve worked with him to present at contests,’’ Shane Robertson said.

‘‘He was on a quality player (Tom Sheldon) and was confident enough to take him on. Harry’s guts for a small player was inspirational.’’

Seymour now has a week off before taking on Rochester at Kings Park. Robertson is hopeful most of the walking wounded will be back, including Matt O’Keefe, Ash Walsh, Jason Cole and Tom Freeman (the latter injuring himself in the final stages of training on Thursday night), while none of the injuries from Saturday’s game are expected to keep players out.

Skipper Brent Colbert is more problematic. He is now suffering from a prolapsed disc and said it depended on when it went back ‘‘in’’ before he could play. Shane Schottner won’t be back from overseas until the Tatura game.

Robertson said the side would train as normal despite the bye. ‘‘For us, we’ve got no momentum going in to it, so we’ll start our season again.’’

Kyabram3.4, 9.6, 9.6, 18.12 (120)

Seymour5.3, 8.6, 8.6, 10.10 (70)

GOALS: Seymour: S. Saad 3, B. Grenfell 2, H. Wheeler, D. Russo, D. Scopel, N. Clydesdale, P. Colbert.

BEST: Seymour: R. Douglas, B. Liddell, T. O’Keefe, H. Robertson, B. Grenfell, A. McCarthy.RESERVES

The twos were a patch-up side in every sense of the word and it was no surprise the Lions went down by 119 points.

Seymour had just 19 players including three over-40s and two under-18s backing up, and several regulars needed by an injury-hit senior side, but pleased coach Shane Cockerell with the effort.

‘‘I thought the scoreboard didn’t reflect the way we played,’’ he said.

‘‘The boys had a real crack and played some committed footy, keeping them to three goals in the final quarter was a super effort. I think everyone contributed and they never dropped their heads once.’’

Better players included Kane Robertson, Billy Cox (backing up from the thirds) and Sonny Judge-Williams, but there was a special mention for Stu Locke, Roddy Chisholm, Paddy Larkin and the under-18 players for helping out.

Cockerell is happy with the way the side is travelling, given the usual issues with the reserves.

‘‘Week after week they are putting in an effort and we’re excited about when we start getting a full list on the paddock. We’re not that far off.’’

Kyabram4.5, 10.8, 15.12, 18.15 (123)

Seymour0.0, 0.0, 0.1, 0.2 (2)

BEST: Seymour: K. Robertson, B. Cox, S. Judge-Williams, C. Clydesdale, T. Robertson, F. Canobie.UNDER-18

An under-18 side missing several Assumption College players and fielding four 15-year-olds was beaten by 95 points by the top-of-the-table Bombers.

Seymour had just 19 players for the game and suffered injuries during it to Harry McLean (ankle) and Jordan Hockley (shoulder).

Standouts included Billy Cox, Tim O’Sullivan (who survived an injury scare of his own early) and Aidan Sharp who after doing a good job in an under-siege defence was shifted forward and kicked one of the Lions’ two goals.

Coach Matt O’Sullivan found a few positives.

‘‘It wasn’t all bad,’’ he said.

‘‘They had us covered for most of the game, but it was a reasonable effort. Hopefully we will learn from the performance. The bye this week will be good, a few of the boys are sore and it’s going to be good just to have a freshen up and get ready for the rest of the season with vigour.’’

The Lions remain in a finals spot despite the loss and O’Sullivan is still confident his side will see September action.

Kyabram3.4, 8.7, 13.7, 17.11 (113)

Seymour0.1, 0.1, 1.4, 2.6 (18)

GOALS: Seymour: A. Sharp, Q. Pearce.

BEST: Seymour: L. Drummond, T. O’Sullivan, A. Sharp, J. Eager, H. McLean, J. Voogt.