Congratulations to Daniel Barnes on playing his 200th game for the Penrith Rams in Round 18. In doing so he becomes only the 10th player to achieve the feat for the club.
Daniel played his junior football with the Penrith Swans and first played for the Rams Reserve Grade in 1995 as a 17 year old (the club in that season did not have an Under 18s). He then played with the club's Under 18 side in 1996.
After his year in the 18s, Daniel graduated to the senior grades, playing the majority of his games in Senior Grade in 1997 & 1998 and from then on becoming a stalwart of the Rams Ressies.
After a couple of years away from the game in 2004 & 2005, Daniel has been a regular fixture at the club since his return in 2006. Since his return, he (and wife Vanessa) have also been involved with the off-field activities of the club, helping out mainly in the social area, contributions which have been greatly appreciated by those in the club administration.
Unfortunately, Daniel's time at the club coincided with a period often devoid of on-field success. It was players like Daniel Barnes who were the rock of the club, turning up to training on a regular basis, giving their all for the club week in-week out against often much stronger opponents and being happy to do things like double up if necessary or run the boundary after playing a full game in the twos. This sort of attitude saw him win the Reserve Grade Coach's Award in both 2007 and 2009 and be awarded the Reserve Grade captaincy in 2010.
In light of this, it is fantastic to see that under the current revised competition structure, Daniel has been able to play in a side in 2010 which has seen its fair share of success. As footy often works though, sadly he couldn't celebrate his 200th game with a win, unfortunately seeing his beloved Rams Ressies side go down by three points to the Southern Power.
From everyone at the Penrith Rams, congratulations to Daniel Barnes on a fantastic achievement.
Last Modified on 13/11/2010 16:18