- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Opinion
Maybe you’ve forgotten about the case of the ill-fated Adelaide Rams? They played just the two years, 1997-98 – the first and last year of Super League, and the first year of the NRL.
Before being disbanded due to lack of interest the mighty Rams’ biggest loss was 58-16 to the Raiders in 1997, while their biggest win was a 52-0 thrashing of Balmain in ’98.
They finished second last in 1997, just ahead of the Cowboys, but finished ahead of Souths, Gold Coast Chargers and Wests in 1998, winning a total of seven games.
Here’s a team of their players you might remember.
1. Kurt Wrigley
Wrigley got his start with Cronulla in 1992 and moved to the Dragons in 1995. Equally at home at either full back or five-eighth, the handy goal-kicker was in the inaugural Rams side and played 15 games for the club that year, before retiring and moving into coaching and sports administration.
2. Matt Daylight
Daylight played nearly 90 games in his career, picking up 49 tries along the way. He could really motor and had 20 games for the Rams in ’98 before heading to the UK.
3. Graham Appo
A talented player and goal-kicker who could cover most positions in the backline, Appo played 132 games here and in the UK between 1994 and 2005. He holds some individual records that will never be beaten, including most points and most tries in a season for the Rams – all coming in just 14 games for the club in 1998!
4. Deon Bird
Bird played over 200 games in his 11-year career, but his 14 games for the Rams in 1998 were his only games in Australia.
5. Joe Tamani
The crowd favourite’s only games in the top grade in Australia were his 21 games for the Rams. He had plenty of pace for a player built like a front rower and he also represented Fiji on three occasions.
6. Chris Quinn
A useful utility who racked up over 150 games in 11 years, Quinn had stints with both the Sharks and the Dragons before joining the Rams for 34 games across.
7. Steve Stone
Stone could play either in the back row or at half, and came to the Rams for the 1997 season after a seven year stint with Canberra.
8. Marty McKenzie
After three uneventful seasons with Parramatta, McKenzie played 19 games for the Rams, then headed to the UK only to have his career cut short by injury.
9. Kerrod Walters
Kevvie’s twin brother was the Rams’ big signing and inaugural captain, before eventually being dropped after a falling out with coach Rod Reddy. Walters was reinstated after Reddy was himself sacked, and his 41 games for the club is the most of any player.
10. Andrew Hick
A consistent performer, Hick played 35 games for Adelaide, joining them from Wests. After the Rams folded, he spent two years playing in the UK.
11. Brett Galea
Galea got his start with the Broncos in 1993, then moved to Adelaide in 1997 and ended up playing 19 games for the club.
12. Adam Peek
The big back rower played 179 games for seven clubs over 15 years. He got his first-grade start at the Rams and played 13 games across the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He retired from the big time at the end of the 2011 season to play in the Newcastle competition.
13. Alan Cann
An Australian schoolboy representative, Cann was a weapon on the field and was no stranger to the judiciary. After winning two premierships with the Broncos and playing one Origin game for Queensland, he played 32 games for Adelaide.
14. Luke Williamson
The utility reputedly played every position on the field in his career and was a useful goal kicker. He made his first-grade debut with the Rams at the age of 18, headed to Canberra after Adelaide folded, then on to Manly where he became somewhat of a club legend. He ended up playing 260 games at the top level in 14 years.
15. Dave Boughton
After six seasons with the Sharks, the back-rower made his way to Adelaide and played 17 games before heading to the UK where he finished his career.
16. Peter Clarke
Clarke was a classy centre who joined the club in 1998 after a good start to his career with the Roosters. He played 16 games with Adelaide before heading to Souths in 1999.
17. Bruce Mamando
Built like a brick outhouse, Mamando came to the Rams from Canberra in 1997 and played a total of 16 games, mainly from the bench, and represented his native New Guinea on six occasions.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.