The team had a solid first half and had come to play..

But it could could not maintain its pressure for the entirety of the match, and the Cougars won 11.10 (76) to 8.11 (59). 

Cougars coach Nick Murphy said it was a tough start to the game for his team. 

“We struggled to adapt to their structures. They were playing with an extra man behind the ball,” he said. 

“To add to that, our ball use was not up to a good enough standard expected by the club.

“Those turnovers hurt us early on.” 

The travelling side, Border Districts, came out of the trenches with guns blazing and the enthusiasm paid off, with the side scoring 2.2 while the Cougars managed 0.3. 

Kaniva-Leeor United won the second term and scored three majors while Border Districts scored two. 

Border Districts went into the main break with a 10-point lead. 

Murphy said his side improved as the game went on. 

“We started to adapt to their style in the second quarter,” he said. 

“We played more one-on-one football, which helped us suck their players out so our forwards had more space.

“I told them at half-time to take a deep breath and calm down, have faith in your ability and make the easy decisions.”

The Cougars improved in the third quarter scoring five goals to Border Districts’ two. 

Kaniva-Leeor United had the upper hand going into the final term. 

In the end the home side was too much for its opposition, winning the final quarter 3.4 to 2.1. 

Cohen Thiele was named man of the match for the Cougars. He kicked five goals for the winning side. 

“Cohen was terrific. Originally he started on-ball but then went up forward and really helped to settle us down,” Murphy said. 

“We weren’t too inaccurate but there were times we should have scored a goal. Cohen really took his opportunities.”

Liam Vivian has continued his fine form in 2017 and was second-best for the side. 

Murphy said he was happy with how his side managed to adapt and play a different style to what it was used to. 

“I have been really happy with how the team finds a will to win, having the confidence to know they can win the game,” he said. 

Tom Robinson was best on ground for the Border Districts.