Grizzlies Hang On Against Fast Finishing Cougars

The talk all week long had been not so much if the Cougars could register a second straight win over the Grizzlies, but rather what, if any, improvements had "Handyman" Col Hilton made to his scoreboard during the off-season? Cougar's Prez, "Chops" McGrath, in his pre-match luncheon address said that while the club had total faith in "Handyman's" abilities, they were keen to see if Col was able to step up to the plate after the unveiling of Seattle's new "high-tech" scoreboard in the opening round.

As the fans streamed into the beautiful suburban bowl known as Brown Park, there was genuine anticipation as to what the new scoreboard would look like. Injured backman, Rob "Guru" Edmonds was hedging his bets, but said he was secretly hoping there would be some kind of pyrotechnics involved in the unveiling. The whole event ended up being anti-climatic as Col had decided to save his big re-launch til The BC Footy Cup at the end of May.

With the trivialities out of the way it was onto the main event, which was whether the Cougars could notch another win, or would the Grizzlies be fired up to atone for the thumping handed out to them in their home opener? The match had received some great Pre-Game exposure from a feature article in the Langley Times and the Cougars were keen to show the locals what the game is all about.

The Grizzlies were definately keen fro revenge, as they were warming up on the ground a good half hour before the Cougars hit the turf. The game kicked off at a good pace and Seattle spelled out their intentions early with 3 quick goals. After the fury of the first ten minutes the Cougars settled and started to get their running game going. Coops was in the game early, as was Mike McFarlane and Shine Edagr and kept the Cougars within striking distance.

Shine Edgar (6) grabs the ball as Cougars, Colin Kelleher (left) and Jason Horychun (right) come into assist.

Playing 16 a side meant a game without wingers, which should have opened up the ground, but Seattle flooded the Cougars' forward line which made it difficult to score but with Jase Stratford crumbing the ball whenever it hit the ground and the dangerous Brian Morrison lurking in the forward pocket, the Cougars were always in with a chance. Shine was strong at the ball all day and kept Vancouver in the contest by continually driving the ball forward. Across the half back line Coops played his usual "lead by example" role to perfection and had great support from Blocky who was inspirational in the last quarter, at one stage taking on three Seattle players in the "Play Of The Day" to win the ball and drive it deep into attack for the Cougars.

Cougar's Mark Robertson looks for open space.

For the second game in a row the Cougars Canadian contingent shone, with solid efforts from Craig Paquin, Jason "Terrier" Horychun, Colin Kelleher, Mike Gentile, Nelson Ferrett and Todd Little. Brad Gill and Evan "Wizard of Oz" Ozirny gave Vancouver good options up forward and Mark Robertson set up good ball movement with Vancouvers' runners feeding off his handballs. Morgs showed his usual toughness in the back pocket and was ably supported with the return of the human battering ram, Brendan Bannan in the other pocket. Returning from an extended off-season, Paul Jennings took up where he left off in the Grand Final and, despite having to call for the oxygen on a number of occasions, slotted nicely back into the full back position., rotating with Jarrod Thorne who gave his usual lesson on how to kick the perfect punt!

The half time break provided some relief from the hot sun and a chance for Vancouver to regroup and get back to basics. With a more settled lineup in the third quarter, the Cougars were able to claw back a couple of goals and set the stage for a classic last quarter. Cougar Captain Chris Freeman showed that as the leader of the Cougars you have to give it your all if you want to win, and was inspirational in the second half with a non-stop running effort that kept the ball moving Vancouvers way. Handyman Col was burrowing in ferociously to give the runners plenty of opportunities and the McLean brothers, Jeff and Adam, used their new footy boots to their advantage to provide some good lessons in going at the ball and tackling hard. Tim McGrath provided some extra speed and marking for Vancouver and along with Capt. Freeman, Shine, Coops and Brad started to turn the tide Vancouver's way.

Tim "Chops" McGrath (12) marks in front of the pack.

With the move of "The" Mark "of" Kain to full forward in the second half the Cougars had a target to aim for, but the Seattle backmen hung tough and were able to repel the Cougar attacks. The Cougars were also helped with the sudden appearance of Tom O'Sullivan who immediately changed out of his dockers and ran straight onto the field, vehemently insisting he had been at work and not recovering from a heavy Friday night!

Big Tommy O' gets the knock out.

The game was played in great spirit and full credit goes to Seattle for 4 solid quarters of footy - in the end holding on for a well deserved win by 7 points.

Tactician for the day, Rob "Guru" Edmonds, spent most of his time counting "player minutes" and "Canadian to Australian" ratios, but continued to rotate players at a dizzying rate to ensure everyone got a fair run.

Special mention must go to the umpires, Annalise, Peter Campion and Dave Taylor for their control of a great flowing game.

Full marks also go to Cougar Prez, "Chops" McGrath whose selfless dedication to the club was unfortunately rewarded with a "crunched" shoulder late in the game.

Thanks also to all the Cougar Kids who watched the game and to the senior players who stayed afterwards to kick the ball around with the kids. Rumour has it Jase Stratford may have more than Glamourboy Vargo to worry about when it comes to the forward line position!

FINAL SCORE: Vancouver 4-12: 36 to Seattle 6-7: 43

GOALS: Jase Stratford 3, Chris Freeman 1
BEST: Tony Cooper, Shine Edgar, Brendan Bannan, Brad Gill, Evan Ozirny, Chris Freeman, Jason Horychun, Simon Block

INJURIES: Tim McGrath (shoulder), Mike McFarlane (concussion/miscellaneous)

SPECIAL THANKS : Fiona, Jill and Mel for "manning" the pie stand, scoreboard and various other indispensible duties to keep things under control!!!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Questioned about a close call of a Seattle behind, goal umpire Brendan "Slim Dusty" Keyhoe replied, "Well he should've bloody kicked it straight to begin with."

Cougars One and All: Seniors and Juniors after the game.

After match festivities were held at the Hilton Estate (thanks to Col & Kim), with the highlight being a wheelbarrow full of VB. Despite the protestations of certain South Australians, the beer tasted sensational!!! A huge thankyou to Col for all his efforts, not only at hosting the post-match drinks, but also for his efforts in arranging the ground and promoting a great day out in Langley!

Players from both teams enjoy the After Game get together
at The Hilton Estate.