Cougars are a touch above the rest

By Marc McGowan
A NEW and improved Victorian Touch League will be on display when the season kicks off at Casey Fields next month.
The Westside and Northern franchises have joined the four inaugural teams – the Casey Cougars, the Melbourne City Lions, the Bayside Vipers and the University Blues – in this year’s VT League.
The touch football competition will run from 4 October to 29 November, and the Cougars are the defending men’s and women’s champions.
Casey Fields will also host a round of the series on 15 November.
The VT League brings together the state’s elite touch football players.
A points system is used based on players’ representative honours to balance out talent across the six VT League sides and encourage the development of youth.
Games involve two 20-minute halves – with a five-minute break in between – and one point is awarded for each ‘touchdown’.
The ball can only be passed backwards and each team is allowed six touches before they have to hand over possession to the opposing side.
Touch football’s popularity continues to expand, with Cougars manager Ali Tuai revealing an average annual growth between five and seven per cent in each of Victoria’s 20 associationsin recent years.
“It’s a fast, exciting and enjoyable sport that caters for everyone,” Tuai said.
“People can show up and within an hour they’re going home.
“It’s one of those sports where you could go to the gym for the same amount of time, but get much more out of playing touch because you’re always involved and meeting other people.”
The Cougars are running a junior program every Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm at Casey Fields from 11 October.
VT League matches at Casey Fields on 4 October will start at 10am and finish around 4pm.
Jason Kaiuai, Navare Tuai, Drury Low and Terry Beazley will be the keys to success in the Cougars’ men’s squad, while Carly Goodrich, Leeann Tuai, the Avery sisters – Emma and Stacey – and Natasha Haines will be pivotal for the Cougars’ women’s team.
Low has earned an under-20 contract with National Rugby League club the Canberra Raiders, and Haines won the female category of Channel Seven’s Gladiators program this year.