The win was the Lions’ first over the Whalers in the club’s history, after failing to pick up a result in their first two seasons.

The Lions started the brighter side, consistently winning the ball out of the middle of the ground. The early dominance paid off when Hollie-Kae Betts soccered through the opening goal of the match.

Dominance around the ruck paid further dividends shortly afterwards, as a good piece of ruck-work from Zalie Betts led to a goal from Emma Bunney.

Eden hit back in the back end of the quarter, as they started winning more contested ball. Kamilla Grubesic eventually got her hands on a forward foray to kick a settling goal for the Whalers, bringing their deficit back to seven-points at the first break.

The second quarter was a tight affair, as both sides struggled with their accuracy in front of goal.

Narooma’s Sophie Taylor kicked the only goal in the quarter after a poor kick in from Eden to give the Lions a 3.5 (23) to 1.3 (9) lead at the main break.

Any chance of an Eden comeback was quickly snuffed out in the third quarter, as the Lions kicked four unanswered goals to build an unbeatable lead.

Meagan Mackie bagged two of those goals, with Lara Stephens and Emma Bunney picking up majors of their own.

The Lions defence was also impressive in the third, as Talia Moreton-Stewart and Mariah Tiedt both made a number of fantastic plays.

The fourth quarter mirrored the second, as Sophie Taylor once again kicked the only goal to give Narooma a 8.10 (58) to 1.4 (10) victory.

The scenes on the final siren were pure joy, as the team shared hugs and high-fives in the wake of the club’s biggest win.

Coach Rowan Hawkey said he challenged his side before the match.

“I put it to the girls before the game that we’re up against the top of the table, and we want to see where we stood,” he said.

“The girls stood up from the get-go, and proved that we’re doing pretty well at the moment.”

Hawkey said a tactical change has transformed the forward line in recent weeks.

“We brought Sophie Taylor up from fullback to try and boost the forward line, and I think it’s working,” he said.

The Lions’ midfield dominated the match from the opening siren, a result of hard work done on the training track.

“Our attack on the ball, and the way the girls worked for each other was fantastic,” Hawkey said.

“They really worked as a team today. We’ve been working on quick handballs to a player in better position, and we did that really well.”

And although this was an impressive win, coach Hawkey said it’s up to his team as to how far they go this season.

“They’ve got to keep turning up to training,” he said. “We’ve shown what we can do, but it’s really up to how much they want it.”