A four-goal burst from captain/coach Simon Mackie early in the fourth quarter keyed the win which saw the Lions remain in the top-two of the SCAFL ladder.

The Lions entered the game desperate for a win over the side that touched them up in round two of the competition, and a quick start suggested they were up and about.

Early goals to Luke Talty and Jai Reed had the Lions purring, as their commitment to the contest had the Diggers on the back foot.

The Diggers worked their way back into the match however, as a series of easy misses from the Lions gave the visitors a sniff.

That sniff became reality, as the Diggers kicked three unanswered goals to take a three-point lead into the first change.

The second quarter turned into an arm wrestle, with both sides struggling to score in the early goings.

The sides traded goals, before a Merimbula blitz at the end of the second quarter saw them jump to a 22-point lead at half time.

The Lions started the third quarter brightest, as Ben McCulloch and Simon Mackie kicked early goals to bring the Lions back to within two goals.

The Lions were still looking for a spark in spite of the two goals, and they would get one through a melee in the midfield.

The Diggers would kick a goal off the ensuing 50-metre penalty, but the Lions had the better of the quarter from that point, kicking two more goals to trail by just a single point at the final change.

The Lions were held to just one behind in the last quarter in their round-two loss to the Diggers, a message that was repeated in the three-quarter-time huddle.

Simon Mackie would make sure history did not repeat itself, as he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck early in the fourth.

Mackie’s first of the quarter was a beauty, as he sunk a set shot from outside 50 to give his side the lead.

He wasn’t done there, as two more marks inside 50 had the Lions up by 17 points.

His fourth sunk the Diggers, as he took another mark from outside 50 before sinking a Buddy-esque goal to give his side an unassailable 23-point lead.

The Diggers didn’t go quietly, as they kicked four last quarter goals of their own, but goals to Liam Clothier and Jai Reed made sure of the 14-point victory.

Coach Simon Mackie stepped in for regular coach Jason Sauiluma on the day, and said he’s happy to hand the reins back over next weekend.

“It was big shoes to fill, but we got there in the end, so I think I’ll leave it at one-for-one,” he said.

“Our coach from last year sort of stepped back in as a bit of a voice on the sidelines as well. Just another smart head around the game.”

Mackie said there were similarities between this win and the first-up loss to the Diggers in round two.

“It was a real similar game to down there, just with the opposite result,” he said. “They sort of ran over the top of us, and we were lucky enough to reverse that today.”

Mackie said he wasn’t initially happy with the third quarter melee, but recognised it’s importance in changing the momentum of the game.

“It’s a funny thing,” he said. “It was just a bit of momentum change, but we went from there.

“I didn’t like it at the time because it was the only way there were scoring, but it must have fired a few of the boys up.”