Today the NSW/ACT Under 16 RAMS will embark on the journey of a lifetime when the travel to Melbourne to play in the curtain raiser at the MCG before the 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final.
On September 26, the RAMS will take on QLD in the NAB AFL Under-16 Championships Division Two Grand Final.
The squad will fly to Melbourne today, Wednesday, September 23. On the Friday, the players will soak up the finals atmosphere, attending the official Grand Final parade.
Darren Denneman, AFL (NSW/ACT) Talent Manager, said that this was an exciting opportunity for the group.
“This is a great chance for these players to be exposed to the biggest stage there is in AFL – the MCG on Grand Final Day. Not many people get the opportunity to play on the MCG on the last Saturday in September.”
“We’ll be telling the players they really need to embrace the moment, but at the same time don’t be over-oared by it – it’s just another game of footy.”
The RAMS will be hoping they can match it with the Queensland outfit, after the boys from north of the border proved themselves the benchmark of the competition at the recent Under 16s Carnival at Blacktown Olympic Park.
“We want to see genuinely competitive footy and for the boys to display their best in a team environment. This should be a competitive game. Queensland really were the stand out side at Blacktown.
“The shortened format will mean you can’t get away with standing still for too long.”
Once the squad arrives in Melbourne on Wednesday night the focus will be on pulling the playing group together as a team.
“It’s going to be a difficult task as we haven’t been able to get the group together since the National Carnival due to their club commitments. We hope they can gel again.
“The National Carnival gave them a realisation about what level they need to work towards. Hopefully they’ve taken that experience back to their clubs and have focused on the work it takes to reach that next level.
“We just want the boys to enjoy the experience, and be true to their own abilities. We want them to leave a positive impression on the journey this year.”
The full team list is attached.
The game will start at 8:55am with four 18 minutes quarters.
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