Marist Rams Lismore rugby league club in premiership race despite flood ruin

No rugby league club in New South Wales had such a heartbreaking pre-season as Marist Rams Lismore which included two major floods. Now they are on the brink of something spectacular.

No rugby league club in New South Wales had such a frustrating, heartbreaking and testing pre-season as Marist Rams Lismore.

Despite their struggles over the last three months following the catastrophic floods on February 28 the club’s first grade mens and womens league tag side are shaping up to be contestants for a triumphant premiership race.

After three matches, the Rams are second on the ladder and boast a team spirit that is unmatched following the horror of the last 12 weeks.

You wouldn’t believe a team performing so well had seen 25 of its 30 sponsors completely underwater as well as losing over $100,000 in equipment, sponsorship money and registrations since February.

Secretary Julie Perren is shocked at how well the squad rallied together with players committing to play, even though they have lost homes and jobs.

“What a great story for us to come out of the depths of tragic circumstances to get a premiership,” she said.

“If anything it empowers them to say ‘let’s do this Lismore’!

“There’s been no talk of anyone leaving because its too hard. They are such a tight great bunch of players in all grades and Will Bugden is doing a fantastic job as a coach, we’ve got our eye on the prize.”

Perren has detailed exactly the devastation that faced the club in the wake of the floods.

The club is running home games on a soaked and unrepaired Oakes Oval with only volunteers and no electricity while sourcing crushed ice for the canteen and medical tent from restaurants in Lismore.

The club lost $80,000 in sponsorship in the blink of an eye and major sponsor the Rous Hotel - who contribute $20,000 a year to the club - aren’t fully operational until Christmas.

“We lost everything like the ice machine which was ten grand,” Perren said.

“We lost fridges and freezers which was another $10,000, we lost apparel, we’ve lost all our training and playing, exercise bikes, post pads, anything foam you can’t use because it’s just mouldy.

“We moved all our equipment into the Nissan Australia building on Ballina Rd but it even got flooded up there.”

Perren had to cut registration fees to get their junior players signed up while head coach Will Bugden organised training sessions at Kadina High School.

In the midst of cleaning up after the flood, almost every member of the first grade squad still turned up.

“Almost everyone rocked up and within the first month we came back we had a full-team every week, now we have a first team, reserve team and a ladies league tag side,” he said.

“There’s no-one complaining at any point about anything we do, we’ve got the mentality and at a point it looked like we weren’t even going to play the entire season.”

“We’ve got blokes who don’t have houses, with wives and kids who are living with mums and dads, one of our guys has ten people in his house.”

Bugden had to change his approach to his team, knowing that he has a good squad on his hands but now he thinks that the trials and tribulations that have plagued his team will turn into triumph.

“I know this might sound strange but I think we will have a successful year because of the floods,” he said.

“They want it so bad they train hard and whenever I ask them to take something to the next level they do it.

“The team indicated they wanted to catch up for lost time.”

They will have the opportunity to do that on Sunday when they travel to Cudgen to face the hornets whoa re league leaders and favourites for the title.

Cudgen edged the Rams 24-28 in their only matchup last season.