By THELMA LEONARD

THE Castlereagh Cougars Womens Rugby League teams all travelled to Wellington on the weekend for their final competition round. The sun made for a warm day as the girls took on the Goannas sides.

Under 12s

The Under 12s started the day off with a very close game, teams scoring try for try throughout and eventually tying the game at 26 all.

This result cementing their finals spot, finishing fourth.

The girls will travel to Dubbo this Sunday (27 November) to take on the Orange Vipers, contending for a Grand Final appearance the following week.

Under 12s Cougars chase down Goannas in a defensively strong game. PHOTO SUPPLIED Bridget Bartlett Photography.

Under 14s

The Cougars Under 14s team have had it a little tougher, relying on a few Under 12s players to back up the last few weeks as the girls were short on numbers.

They went into their final game of the season and gave it their all, unfortunately the Goannas side proved too strong with a 36-0 scoreline.

Under 16s

Up next was the Under 16s girls, coming off a great win the week before.

The Cougars girls were hoping for a similar result against a tough Goannas side in their final game for the season.

That wasn't to be though, the host side convincing winners in the end, 54-12.

Adda Craig from Cougars tries to step around a solid defensive Goanna. PHOTO SUPPLIED Bridget Bartlett Photography.

Under 18s

The Cougars Under 18s team were once again struggling for numbers, something that has disadvantaged them for the whole season. Travelling with just 6 players and the appreciated assistance from the regular 4 Under 16 players who backed up, the girls played 10 players against a full Goannas side.

To their credit they didn't give up and was at times down to 9 players.

Finishing strong, the Cougars girls scoring the final couple of tries to reduce the Goannas lead, the final score 36-18.

The girls finished 3rd overall and will be off to Bathurst this Saturday to take on the Orange Vipers, vying for a Grand Final berth.

Under 18s Cougars tackling a member of the Goannas to stay in the game. PHOTO SUPPLIED Bridget Bartlett Photography.

Opens

Finishing off the day were the Opens sides, providing an entertaining game for the crowd. Our senior girls also travelled light this week with just 2 on the bench and 2 Under 18s girls backing up.

The Opens competition has been a very close race, a win would put the Cougars into 2nd place and therefore hosting a semi final round, a loss to the top side would drop the girls to 4th.

The game went down to the wire, the visiting Cougars side managing to gain the lead deep in the second half.

With just minutes remaining, the girls just needed to hold out the pressuring Goannas side.

Unfortunately, they were unable to shut the opposition side down, Goannas crossing with a minute to go and winning by conversion, 26-24.

This means the Cougars side will play the Goannas side again in the semi finals game this Saturday (26 November) in Dubbo.

With three out of five teams still competing, hopefully we'll have a chance at a Grand Final appearance for our club.