RAMS ready for Queensland encounter

The NSW/ACT RAMS continue their 2010 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships campaign this weekend when they take on Queensland in their first away match for the Championships.

Being held at Coorparoo in Brisbane on Saturday, the RAMS will be keen to return to their winning ways after falling short against Vic Country two weeks ago in Blacktown.

The five players coming into the side, Harrison Cumming (Central Broken Hill), Jackson Ferguson (Pennant Hills), Jarred Lane (Corowa), Ryan Hon (Echuca) and Tom Holman (North Albury), will be looking to showcase their talents in front of AFL talent scouts and coaches.

State Talent Manager Darren Denneman said there is now an opportunity for players to come into the side and to test themselves at the next level.

“We got beaten by Vic Country and we saw a need to make a few changes and to give as many players exposure as we can,” Denneman said.

Despite showing positive signs the RAMS can match it with the best teams in the Championships, they couldn’t string together the attacking football they needed to over the duration of the match.

Denneman said the team will need to be consistent throughout the entirety of the contest if they are going to beat Queensland.

“I just think we need to understand the game is played across four quarters. Our level of intensity needs to be maintained for the whole game and we can’t afford to have situations where we’re good for 15 minutes of a quarter and drop off in the five or six minutes that remain.”

“It’s about constant application and it’s also about good ball use. If you don’t use the footy well, and against Vic Country or any of these sides in division one or division two, you turn the ball over and it goes back over your head and the opposition scores.

“Unfortunately we lacked a bit of consistency in intensity at times and probably turned the ball over more often than we would have liked.”

Queensland is currently winless from their opening two matches going down to Tasmania by seven points and to Western Australia by 115 points.

In recent years the two emerging AFL states have battled out some great contests and Saturday’s match is going to be no different.

“There’s always been a strong contest and a fierce rivalry between the two states and in the past they’ve [Queensland] certainly presented very well,” Denneman said.

“We’re looking to continue to improve, and with the playing group we’ve got and the additions we’ve made, if they can continue the good form set by the others in previous games we’ll be in a good position to win.”

The RAMS’ next match is against Western Australia at Melbourne’s Visy Park on June 26 followed by an encounter with Tasmania at Etihad Stadium on June 30.

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