RAMS are up for their next challenge
The under-18 RAMS are ready for their next challenge in the 2010 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships when they come up against Western Australia at Melbourne’s Visy Park on Saturday.
Hornsby’s Josh Cole comes into the side as the team looks to replicate the form which saw them defeat Queensland by 74-points in Brisbane on the weekend. Click here to view the team to take on WA.
The RAMS have featured prominently in the Championships, winning two of their opening three games, and they now face a tough run of matches with two games in five days including the division two Championship match against Tasmania on June 29 at Visy Park.
AFL (NSW/ACT) State Talent Manager Darren Denneman said the RAMS will be up to the task of defeating Western Australia on Saturday.
“We’ve got WA first up which is a tough assignment, we’ve just got to show faith in the 22 players that go out there that they understand what we want them to try and achieve,” Denneman said.
“I actually think that if they can consistently do that then we’ve got a great chance of winning.”
The experience of travelling to Melbourne as a team and spending a week together going over game plans and team structures will be beneficial for player development.
Denneman said the Talented Player Program is providing aspiring AFL players with the blueprint to be picked up by an AFL club in the end of season drafts.
“This program’s tremendous in terms of how it is set up and with the way players get to travel, they generally play at good facilities, they have access to excellent staff and it sets them up potentially for what’s on offer for them in the future in terms of being an elite level AFL player,” he said.
“It’s almost a mini version of where they’d like to get to and it does get them used to travelling and recovering and doing all of the necessary things and not getting too uptight about plane delays and those types of things.”
Western Australia has won one of their opening three matches but is capable of defeating any side on their day.
“WA are an excellent side, I’ve seen them a couple of times now and they’ve presented extremely well, they’ve got a great program over there and they always present very well so it’s a great challenge and a great opportunity for our players to assess themselves against what traditionally is a strong football state,” Denneman said.
The RAMS have two matches in Melbourne to finish the Championships. The first game against Western Australia will be held at Visy Park on Saturday, June 26 at 11:55am. The RAMS’ final match is against Tasmania and will be held at Visy Park on Wednesday, June 29 at 2:30pm.
