Season in review: Light at the end of the tunnel in Western Rams rebuild

The Western Rams slashed their average losing margin by more than 120 points this season and coach Marty Weaver is promising a strong recruiting push.

Western Rams captain Josh Casey. Picture: Josh Chadwick

Western Rams coach Marty Weaver is promising a “ruthless” spring recruiting campaign.

The Rams finished winless for the second straight RDFL season but Weaver was confident the foundations of the club were stronger than ever after several difficult years.

The club rebranded from Rockbank last year as it looks to completely overhaul its on-field and off-field culture.

The likes of Alex, Sweet, Sam McKenzie, Kristan Vance, Tyler Nesbitt, Phil Hoyland and Steve Hoare arrived this season and more experienced players are likely to be secured for 2021.

“I’m going to be ruthless with other football clubs, I’ll be recruiting really hard,” Weaver said.

“It’s already started, we’ve already secured some really good footballers for next year.

“Our aim was to improve our on-field and off-field culture and build a club that people want to come to and we ticked all the boxes in that sense.

“Our aim was to be competitive and hopefully push through for a win, as much as the results didn’t go our way and we maybe didn’t look competitive, in our eyes we certainly changed the way we’re seen.

“We can only get bigger and stronger from here and we’ve got a lot of interest from people keen to play next year.”

Significantly, the club reduced its average losing margin by more than 120 points, from 223 in 2019 to 98.

The Rams suffered only one 200-point loss this season, compared to 11 in 2019 – including four 300-point defeats – and came within 22 points of Woodend-Hesket in Round 6.

The club’s scoring improved marginally, jumping from 15.87 points per game in 2019 to 17 this season.

Weaver is confident the club can snap its current 47-game winless run.

“Our skipper Josh Casey pretty much played the entire year with serious shin splints and not played anywhere near his capability, if we can get him fit it will have a serious impact,” Weaver said.

“We lost Tom Thorogood to a full knee reco, Tom Cotton snapped his leg in a practice match and Tom McColl was limited his game and impact due to knee injuries.

“We knew from the start it was a marathon, not a sprint, and I took the job under no illusions that there was plenty to do.

REVIEW: CANCELLED SEASON NOT A WASTE FOR WALLAN

LEADER: GET YOUR RIDDELL DISTRICT FOOTY NEWS HERE

DONE: COVID CLAIMS ANOTHER LOCAL FOOTY SEASON

“The committee has worked extremely hard in changing everything and thrown all their support behind the football and netball coaching teams and playing group.

“We were one united club and that’s a massive step from where we’ve come from.”

Western Rams used 46 players this season as just three – Kayne Teeken, McKenzie and Saxon Woodroffe – played all nine matches.

Positively for the club, the netball team enjoyed four wins in its nine games, finishing a respectable sixth on the A-Grade ladder.