The best part of the Cockburn Cougars team of 2024 has been how deep it goes and the experienced presence of Taryn Priestly and the all-round talents of Regan Turnour-McCarty has been important in reaching the NBL1 West Grand Final.
The Cougars came into the 2024 season as the defending NBL1 West champions, but knew they couldn’t afford to rest on their laurels and had to keep improving if they wanted to give themselves a chance of going back-to-back.
With captain Kirsty Whitfield retiring as championship captain, there was a vacancy there for that experienced leader in the group. That’s where Priestly fit perfectly and along the way earned Cougars life membership by reaching 200 games.
Then Turnour-McCarty has fit in tremendously and depending on who has been available or who the Cougars have been playing, she’s been able to play the role of a guard, the role as a big or anything in between.
The pair have had a significant say in the Cougars now reaching this Saturday’s Grand Final against the Rockingham Flames at RAC Arena.
TARYN PRIESTLY
Saturday’s Grand Final will be the 349th game overall in the career of Taryn Priestly with 210 of those games now being played at the Cockburn Cougars as she prepares for another Grand Final appearance.
Priestly is already a two-time championship winner from her time with the Willetton Tigers but that doesn’t mean she’s any less excited now for Saturday’s Grand Final and especially for it to be played at RAC Arena.
“I’m not only excited for the Grand Final itself but also for the energy and hype leading up to it. This week has been all about the Grand Final, and I love it!,” Priestly said.
“I always imagined how incredible it would be to play at the RAC Arena, and now we’re playing the Grand Final there. It’s pretty surreal—I’ve got goosebumps just talking about it.”
When Priestly signed on to return to the Cougars for the first time since 2018, the vision was to be part of a Cockburn team that gave itself a chance of winning back-to-back championships.
That part has now gone perfectly to plan with the Cougars back in the Grand Final and at this point of her career, Priestly has been happy with the role she’s played whether she hits the floor or not.
“Haha, yes, it sure has gone to plan so far. Now, just one more part of the plan to go,” she added.
“I love to play, and I’m a competitor and opportunist. When an opportunity arises, I take it, even if it means taking on different roles within the team. I love the girls and I love this team.”
Priestly will also have some added interest to hang around for the men’s Grand Final on Saturday night at RAC Arena and especially to see good friend Damien Scott get his first chance since joining Willetton to get into a decider.
“I’ve been so lucky to have Damien as one of my best mates and being able to watch him play on the same night is incredible,” Priestly said.
“He’s an outstanding player, one of a kind. I can’t wait to watch him and my other good mates—it’s always fun watching your friends in a Grand Final, especially at the RAC Arena.”
REGAN TURNOUR-MCCARTY
When Cockburn Cougars coach Tyrone Thwaites recruited Regan Turnour-McCarty it was a vision that she could fill any role on the team and be that ultimate versatile piece, and that’s exactly how the season has panned out.
There were times early in the season with Jessie Edwards unavailable and before the arrival of Daniel Raber and Maria Blazejewski where Turnour-McCarty had to play as a genuine big and despite giving up plenty of size, battled hard down low.
She’s also had to spend time as a ball handler or playmaker, and she’s also fitted into perhaps the wing role she has best suited to. Whatever she’s done she has had a significant impact and has been a key reason why the Cougars have now reached Saturday’s Grand Final against Rockingham at RAC Arena.
Now that Saturday is approaching and the Cougars have been able to have a shootaround at RAC Arena, the excitement is certainly building with Turnour-McCarty.
“There’s definitely a lot of mixed feelings at the moment but I’m very excited,” Turnour-McCarty said.
“It’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of. Being a part of history is always a good thing so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Turnour-McCarty had initially moved from her home in Brisbane to Adelaide where she played the last two seasons in the NBL1 Central at the Woodville Warriors, then she joined the NBL1 West for the first time in 2023 at the Goldfields Giants.
Despite a tough season as a team, Turnour-McCarty performed strongly to catch the eye of Cougars coach Thwaites and the pair didn’t need to be in contact for long before agreeing they’d be a good fit together at Cockburn.
Turnour-McCarty has now had to play a whole variety of roles throughout the season, has enjoyed them all and now can’t wait for the final step on Saturday.
“It’s gone to plan so far, just got one more to go. It’s been a great year so far!,” she said.
“Yeah, I’ve been happy with my role on the team this season. I’ve had to adjust and step in where I’ve been needed but I’ve loved it a lot.”
Even though Turnour-McCarty has been with the Cougars for less than 12 months, she has thrown herself into the whole association full heartedly not only on the court, but also being involved in coaching the juniors and being a big part of the Cougar Family.
The action on the court on the weekend is just the bonus, but she feels part of the Cougar Family already and would hope it continues for a while longer yet.
“Yeah I would love to stay around here!” Turnour-McCarty said.
“I haven’t been a part of a team with culture like this before and I’ve really enjoyed it. The whole community at Cougars is also a great thing to be a part of.”
