City West Falcons’ Jane Cook continues to hit new benchmarks and make history as she scored 1000 goals for a second straight Victorian Netball League season.
After becoming the first player to score 1000 goals in a season at VNL level last year, she has continued to find the bottom of the net this year.
Cook entered Wednesday’s match with North East Blaze needing 33 goals to mid the 1000 benchmark.
She needed until the second quarter to make that happen.
Cook finished with 57 goals for the game as she got a well earned rest in the final quarter with the Falcons well ahead of the North East Blaze.
Cook said there wasn’t a lot of build up heading into the match.
“It was just another game for us, still going with the same tactics and same mindset, a nice little extra challenge,” she said.
“I always go out with my own individual goals each season and I definitely am trying to push better each season, not only for my own personal goals through the season but also for the team.
“Me shooting 1000 goals is not an individual thing. I could not do it without all my teammates on the court and an absolute credit to them and it’s a pretty cool achievement as a team.”
Cook hit the 1000th goal mark last year in the final round of the regular season, her 20th game for the year.
This year it took her just 17 games.
Cook said it was pretty cool to beat her own record.
She said the two seasons were completely different.
“I think the vibe and skill set and the level we are putting out on the court is just as high as last season, if not pushing for more,” she said.
“I think every year brings a different aspect to our team, different development and more growth, definitely some differences and some similarities.”
It’s been a big year for Cook, who was recently called up as an injury replacement for the Sunshine Coast Lightning for Cara Koenen.
Cook had been involved in the SSN competition since 2017 when she played for the Adelaide Thunderbirds. She was also a training partner for Collingwood in 2018.
“It was a really cool opportunity and I certainly thank them for welcoming me into that environment,” she said.
“I enjoyed every second getting another glimpse into that space and it was really good to work alongside and be part of that elite space with some really cool athletes.”
Cook said while she’s put up some big numbers the past couple of seasons, there’s still more areas that she could improve on, both on and off the court.
Making Cook’s efforts this year even more remarkable, she has missed just 34 shots for the season.
Cook admits she loves a safe shot.
“I don’t want that on my head [if I miss],” she said.
“I used to shoot a little bit from long range, [but] my job is to get it and be 100 per cent reliable and a 100 per cent shooter,
“If I can get that close to the post and make that easier, I may as well.”
Focus for the Falcons now turns to finals, with just one round left of the normal season.
The Falcons will finish top no matter what the result of their final round match with Peninsula Waves.
“I think we have put ourselves in a really good position through the season,” she said.
“We definitely know finals is a completely different ball game, players play differently, teams come out firing and a lot on the line in finals.
“We’re feeling good, feeling prepared.”
