The round 10 match was contested at Dudley Chesham Sportsground on July 9 and ended in a 14-42 scoreline. 

The Lions got off to strong start, with Blake Jeffery scoring after just 60 seconds into the match. 

Lions head coach Dan Beardshaw said it was dominant first half performance from the Mittagong side. 

“We were quite in control of the game and we did everything we wanted to,” he said. 

“There was lots of energy and talk.”

Regan Economos and Ben Powell scored for the Lions before half time which put the score at 14-12 at the break. 

But Beardshaw said half time came at the wrong time for the Lions. 

“There was a 25 minute period in that second half where we just weren’t good enough,” he said. 

“We lost our way and we got away from our game plan.” 

He said the second half did not reflect how the Lions had played across the season. 

“In that period we did not play to the standards we have set this year,” he said. 

“We didn’t want to do the hard things and a few people took some easy options.”

Despite the loss, Beardshaw said Jesse Elliott and Jye Frazer had strong games for the Lions, as well as Corey Roberts and Byron Pinkerton. 

“It was Corey’s first first grade performance this year and he really proved himself. Byron made his first grade debut and showed great potential,” he said. 

The coach said the Lions needed to raise their game ahead of the round 11 match against Thirlmere on July 16. 

“If we really want to make it to finals we need to perform better right across the board,” he said. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing a response from the boys and we need one if we want to make finals.”

The Lions will have their work cut out for them against Thirlmere, as the club has brought on a number of new signings just before deadline. 

“Their captain Jake Maloney is a high profile player and he is leading his guys in a great direction,” Beardshaw said. 

“Thirlmere are a big side and they like to play quickly so we need to be at our best.”

Ladder: Picton 16; Thirlmere, Campbelltown City 12; Mittagong 11; The Oaks 10; Camden 9; Narellan 5; Oakdale 3.