The coach of the Armidale Rams is determined to build confidence in his team after a disappointing result in Glen Innes last weekend, when the Glen Innes Magpies A graders landed their first win on the field this year beating Armidale 66-nil.
Armidale arrived in the Celtic Capital on Sunday short on numbers and Glen Innes took full advantage, running in 34 points to nil in the opening half.
The second stanza brought more heartache for the visitors. A mistake-riddled attack followed by repeat defensive sets allowed the Magpies to continue their rout.
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The hosts strolled over for another 32 points and denied their opponents any opportunity to put points on the board in the final 40 minutes to land the win.
“We were down on troops on Sunday,” coach Steve Ware said. “We’ve just got to regroup.”
It was a winless day in all grades for the Rams, after Glen Innes 22 defeated Armidale 10 in the league tag match, and it was a similar story in the Under 18s where Glen 56 easily accounted for Armidale 14.
Ware became the A Grade side’s new coach this year, and resolved to turn around last year’s winless season.
“The boys are not used to winning many games,” he said. “They’re so used to turning up and losing. I think everything’s got to change within themselves, so they’re not used to being the easy victim in the competition anymore.
”They’ve put in much hard work these past four or five months, but they turn up to games and get intimidated by the other team because they’re bigger and stronger.”
READ MORE: See the photos from last weekend’s match
Ware is determined to show that the Rams can lock horns with any team in the region. The Rams’ victory over the Tingha Tigers in mid-April proved that the Rams can win matches – even when down on players.
The Rams played 55 minutes of the clash a player short after an early send-off, and triumphed, thanks to preparation and a relentless attitude.
“That first match against Tingha gave us a bit of light in the end of the tunnel,” Ware said, “but the players themselves need to realise we've got something good here. We just need to stick together and be positive about things that are in place for them.”
“It's self-belief, really, because they've been used to losing for the last couple of years. Instead of being intimidated by the other team, they can turn around and make things happen for themselves, the club, and their families.”
The Rams’ next match is against Moree on Sunday, with an away game against Inverell and a home match versus Narwan to follow.
Ware encouraged supporters to come down and barrack for their team.
“It’s a tough time at the moment, but we’ll get there in the end!”
Nicholas Fuller
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
The exciting thing about journalism is the variety; one can explore the world, meet interesting people and write about it. I've sat in the caravan of an African circus ringmaster; I've squatted on my haunches in a plastic-sorting factory in the Mumbai slums, talking to the workers and drinking hot chai in plastic cups the size of thimbles; and I've interviewed Chinese cultural attachés, Danish football stars and Japanese drummers. Now I’ve come to the Northern Tablelands as a group journalist working across six of Fairfax’s mastheads. Living in New England is a return to country. My father’s side of the family lived here since the 19th century. My great-great-grandparents are buried in Ben Lomond. My great-grandmother and grandmother spent most of their lives in and around Glencoe and Glen Innes, and are both buried in Tamworth. My grandfather isn’t; his ashes are in a cupboard until we throw them in the Macdonald, near Bendemeer, where he used to fish. And my father cut his teeth as a cadet journalist on the Northern Daily Leader, before moving to Canberra, and studied history at UNE. Moving here is following in the family footsteps. Armidale seems charming: up here, in Australia’s highest city, one feels close to the sky. And the mixture of 1830s historic buildings; green, rain-washed hills, crowned with conifers; and one of the country’s leading universities give it a unique appeal. I completed my journalism qualifications last year, while freelancing for newspapers and magazines, and holding down a full-time job. I spent the end of last year in Sri Lanka, where I reported on visiting Buddhist dignitaries (from exotic Perth), UN development programs, Italian food weeks, and hotels in former war-zones. Previously, I worked as a writer and editor for the Australian Government in Canberra for a decade. In my day job, I briefed members of parliament about international relations, and wrote about agricultural aid programs to developing countries. Journalism, though, is where my heart lies. I want to experience life, rather than sit behind a desk. And, having grown up in Belgium, I want to be Tintin. I hope to get to know and love the region where my ancestors lived, while reporting on issues important to the Tablelands.
