Casey Pye made a comeback from injury in the Warriors 50-31 victory over South Rovers at Walter Oval on Saturday.

A strong opening half meant Forth was able to manage Pye’s workload in her first game back.

The Warriors led 26-12 at half-time, with Pye a steady contributor at goal defence. Pye spent the final two quarters on the bench, her coach content with the defender’s output and fitness after a break from the game with a jarred knee.

“Having Casey back certainly strengthened our defence,” Forth said.

“Chloe Arnott at goal keeper makes a lot of intercepts and Casey was able to make the most of those and drive the ball down the court from defence into attack.”

The return of Pye has bolstered the Warriors finals ambitions, but Forth herself is still out of action.

The coach watched from the sidelines against South Rovers and is still some time away as she recovers from a torn calf.

Saturday’s game was no place to risk injured players with bitter winter weather lashing Warrnambool.

Rain fell throughout the game, testing the skills of both teams.

“I thought we adjusted well to the conditions,” Forth said.

“We were able to change it up and move the ball short and sharp to cut out mistakes.”

Given the atrocious conditions, a 50-goal haul was an impressive result for Old Collegians. With the return of Pye solidifying the defence, the Warriors attacking end of the court was also functioning well. 

Maggie Kline shot 27 goals and Rebecca Kavanagh 23.

Forth said this pairing was becoming a formidable duo.

“This is the second year Bec and Maggie have played together and they are developing a really good connection,” she said.

“it’s a nice mix for us.”