Cougars’ big night
THE Geelong Cougars stamped their authority in all three VNL divisions on Wednesday night, claiming three big wins over the Ariels.
The Cougars put in a dominant display in the championship division to come away with a 43-goal win over the Ariels, 75-32.
After a strong first term, coach Gerard Murphy threw a mountain of changes in the second quarter, leaving only Julia Woolley (26 from 29) in her starting position.
Murphy continued to high- light the versatility of this team with more positional changes in the third and fourth terms.
Ruby Horton (24/31), Zanna Woods (10/11), Woolley and Sarah Main (15/18) shared to goal shooting duties.
Emily Post, Holly Hood and Vanessa Augustini rotated through the mid court.
With Tori Smith on the sideline, Allie Smith, Brooke Allan and Mel Bragg stepped up to cover the Cougars defensive end.
In Division 1, the Geelong Cougars (60) defeated Ariels (28).
There were some impressive passages of play to find Hannah Van Gemst (41/45) under the goal post.
Ali O’Connor was providing disruption through the mid-court, cutting off passes and halting the Ariels’ drive into their goal circle.
In the 19-and-under game, Cougars defeated Ariels 69-35.
Ruby Barkmeyer and Darcy McFarlane combined brilliantly to dominate the Cougars’ shooting circle.
Coach Mel Savage made some changes after the halftime break, but this did not disrupt the Cougars’ flow.
Ariana Luamanu came on into goal attack and played a strong supporting role in goals.