The IGA Rams suffered their second defeat of the season at the hands of powerhouse club, UTS at Trumper Park on Saturday. A sluggish first half saw UTS take control on the small ground in the first half after which the Rams found it difficulat to get back in the hunt. With the forfeit of Manly in the 18's, Reserves staged a stunning comeback after a horror start to easily defeat Mac Uni Kookas.
First Grade
Penrith Rams V UTS at Trumper Park
With the unusual 10:00 AM start for First Grade on Saturday, it was an early departure for the team as they hit the M4 to travel to Paddington to take on the strong UTS Bats club. UTS went into the game with mixed results after going down to East Coast the week before but previously had secured good wins against Pennant Hiils and Holroyd Parramatta, which were both at home.
The first half saw the Bats skip to a six goal lead with Penrith being innacurate when the ball travelled to their opponents forward fifty. John Keane in the backline prevented further damage to the Rams with tireless work along with the Sam Lockhart.
It was going to be a true test of character in the second half with Penrith looking like getting back into the hunt but their shoulders dropped somewhat with the Bats receiving almost all of the 50/50 decisions from the whistle blowers which enabled them to surge further in front at the three quarter break.
To their credit, the team rallied in the final session with both sides kicking three goals apiece. But with the scoreboard rrecording a fifty five point win to the Bats, it enabled them to remain unbeaten on the Trumper Park paddock, which always causes massive difficulties for opposition clubs.
Club stalwart, John Keane, was announced as Best on Ground and will be able to boost his "IGA Signature" Award by 5% as he is employed by Australia's largest independant chain of grocers. Max McNamara was also magnificent and will be able to drown his sorrow from a vehicle breakdown on the way to the ground with the "Red Cow Inn" Award. Sam Lockhart, back in the top grade, grabbed his opportunity with both hands with a tough display along with Reece Jonson and Mark "Woody" Woodford. Once again, Dave "Braddles" Bradley was in the top six for the fifth consecutive week and is always an inspiration to his team-mates.
The team now slips to equal third spot on the ladder but will be determined to return to the winning list next week when they take on sixth placed Southern Power in their first game at Greygums since the opening round.
Penrith Rams 8.11-59 def by UTS Bats 17.12-114 at Greygums Oval
Goal Kickers: B. Roberts , M. Reinhard , T. Cummins , K. McDonagh , R. Johnson , T. Corless , H. Stibbard , A. West
Reserve Grade
Penrith Rams V Macquarie University Kookaburras
After a gritty and sensational win over competition leaders, Mac Uni Warriors the previous week, it was Uni's lower ranked team, the Kookaburra's that had to take the trip to Greygums Oval on Saturday.
With the forfeit by Manly in the previous game scheduled at the ground and some late withdrawals by the Rams, it gave an opportunity for five Under 18's players who have only played one game (or less) this season to make their seniors debut.
The opening quarter saw an outstanding start by the Kooka's who were greatly assisted by some inept Rams options and rusty skills. The 18's players seemed to be slightly overawed at facing the bigger bodies of their opponents and Uni stunned the crowd with an opening 5 goals quarter whilst there was no movement whatsoever on the Rams side of the scoreboard.
With 18's coaches Craig Sharp and Geoff Payne appointed to assist player/coach Mark Jackson from the sidelines, the team grew in confidence and skills in the second quarter with the momentum quickly switching to the home side. With debutant, Nick Adams controlling ther ruck, the Rams seemed to have a new side on the park and in a stunning turnaround, put six majors on the board against a sole Uni goal to go to the major break with a two point lead.
The Kookaburra's weren't going to lie down easily and an opening goal allowed them to again regain the lead a the lead changed throughout the quarter, but it was the Rams that came out in front to increase their lead by seventeen with the final quarter ahead of them.
A tight struggle in the opening five minutes allowed Uni to still have a glimmer of hope but the dominance of the Rams was quickly evident as they ran their rivals off their legs and in an ironic twist, just like the first quarter in was five goals scored against a zero point count. Happily, this time it was achieved by the Rams outfit. All players are reminded that the coaching staff on the day make the final decisions and an isolated incident late in the game late in the game was unfortunate. Arguments with coaching staff will not be tolerated at the club.
Christian Triiffitt was magnificent and it was a unanimous decision to award him the "IGA" Man of the Match. 18's player, Nick Adams was also outstanding as he worked his way to the "Red Cow Inn" Award. Nathan White just keeps getting better in the backline and continually outsmarts his opponents, often when outnumbered and has made that position his own whilst Mark Jackson enjoyed the freedom of 18's coaches "running the board" to put in a very impressive game along with Alex Rogers who was heavily involved throughout. Brian Skepper was solid all day and his positive attitude and encouragement to on-field players is exceptional Special mentions also go the the 18's players after a tardy start due to their absence of match time this season. The last three quarters saw them all become heavily involved and they were certainly the catalyst for the victory. Ben "Boogerz" Priest, Ben McGovern (3 goals), Grady Tapping, Rick Ooms (1 goal) and ruckman Nick Adams (1 goal) all excelled and it is a tribute to the Under 18's team and their frustrating situation so far, that these "first year" players took up the challenge with such aplomb. Multiple goalscorers were Jason Ware (4), Ben McGovern (3), Alex Rogers (2), Christian Triffitt (2) whilst Hamish Mulligan and Seltene Yohannes both contributed one each. The team now lies in equal second spot on the ladder and face Nor-West Jets at Bensons Lane next Saturday.
Penrith Rams 15.11-100 defeated Macquarie University Kookaburras 8.1-49
Goal Kickers: J. Ware 4, B. McGovern 3, A. Rogers 2, C. Triffitt 2, R. Ooms , H. Mulligan , N. Adams , S. Yohannes
Under 18's
Well, the frustration by the whole of the Penrith Rams club is magnified greatly by the players as they were forced to endure yet another forfeit, this time by 2-1 team Manly, who seem to be reluctant to take the long hike to the foot of the mountains. Along with the forfeit by Southern Power in round two (Maybe it's the salt air that affects some teams) and last week's transferred match with Mac Uni coupled with the first round bye, it has been nightmare start to the season with just one game played by the team. Hopefully, next week's match against Holroyd-Parramatta (who forfeited their match against Penrith late last year) will go ahead, as HP do have strong numbers this year. In order to get the boys some match games, a "friendly" match against Premier Cup team, St George, the following week (With both teams on a bye weekend) is being proposed. Following that, the team is scheduled to play East Coast and Moorebank Sports with both of those sides expected to play on the day.
So hopefully, there is some light on the horizon in this years Challenge Cup to the young Rams who have worked tremendously hard for the previous three months with the expectation of playing a game every Saturday. We will work very hard with the league and the opposing clubs to ensure that thsi happens.
A huge thanks to the players who have played up this year including those who played in Reserves on the weekend and to those players that have put their hands up to play for Campbelltown on Sunday due to that teams shortgae of players. Good luck to Luke Simmons, Brendan Reed, Liam Murphy, Matt Reardon, Harley Stibbard, James Colquhoun and Nic Edwards on the day as they experience a taste of Premier Cup football, a competition that Penrith is looking at joing in 2011
Hang in there, guys.
Penrith Rams 83 defeated Manly Wolves 0 (Forfeit rule applied)
Last Modified on 22/05/2010 10:49