Rams: 'Little old Southland' to push for South Island glory
The 2024 Southland Rams have named its squad for the South Island Championship which for the Rams will start at Rugby Park in Invercargill on September 7.
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Southland Rams coach Nathan Anderson says his team will “get what they earn” as they build towards a short-sharp South Island Rugby League Championship.
The 2024 AG Hoffman Civil-sponsored Rams squad was named on Friday. They will open their campaign against Aoraki at Rugby Park in Invercargill on Saturday, September 7.
That will be followed by a showdown against West Coast in Oamaru on September 14 and another trip to Oamaru to take on the Canterbury Bulls on September 21.
Anderson was happy with the squad he had assembled. However, he did acknowledge it had been a challenging buildup given the gap between the club season in the summer months and the representative season.
The entire squad has been playing rugby union in between, so it has made for a long oval-ball season for them.
“It has been a huge challenge trying to get everyone back together, it took a couple of weeks to get people turning up and back into the swing of things. They are a bit weary and definitely needed a couple of weeks break in between [rugby and league].”
It has been a quick shift from rugby union back to rugby league mode.
“When they first came together you could tell they were still ball-watching type of thing rather than the space that they should be in. It took a bit to run that out of the boys.”
The group has been together for a month now in what will be a nine-week campaign all up with the games included.
Darcy More - who is likely to play in the secondrow - is shaping as a key figure for the Rams in 2024.
More was previously a South Island junior rep with big wraps and after some time out has returned to the Southland rugby league scene with the Rams.
Captain Dylan Lovett will provide the Rams with a tackling machine in the middle of the field, while vice-captain Sione Kaufonoga will be an important playmaker in the halves.
The Rams should possess a couple of strong centres in Fale Iosefo and Vitali Roqica.
Youngster Nate Corbett will be one to watch for the Rams given he has been part of the South Island Scorpions U18 setup.
Anderson will be assisted in the coaching department by Korey Pennicott who is embarrassing other 40-plus-year-olds, given he has also been named as a player in the squad as well.
“He’s really fit, unbelievably fit. He is running probably just as quick as he was four years ago. It’s crazy.
“We’ve been doing a lot of fitness and at the end of our training and he’s still up there,” Anderson said.
With no final in the South Island Championship Southland would likely need to win all three games to win the competition.
The winner of the South Island Championship will progress to a National Championship playoff in Auckland.
The Canterbury Bulls will enter the South Island Championship this year as heavy favorites.
“Obviously with the Canterbury Bulls in the Championship this year it makes for a fair old challenge for little old Southland, and they’ve named quite a strong squad.
“It will be a challenge when we get to that, but we haven’t actually looked that far ahead. We haven’t looked past Aoraki which is our first game.”
2024 Southland Rams squad:
Fale Iosefa, Jayden Raimona, Vitali Roqica, Richie Kuresa, Josh Wilson, Korey Pennicott, Sione Kaufononga (vice captain), Tom Watts, Calder White, Marama Reti, Darcy More, Dominic Vercoe, Dylan Lovett (captain), Daniel Low, Luke Muir, Chee Turuwhenua, Baylee Walker, Tahi Hura, Jaron Alexander, Rangi Rogers, Leo Wiki-Quest, Anisoni Kaufononga, Nate Corbett, Napoliani Serulelele, Jay Naqianivalu, Fili Hufanga, Richie Holi.
Rams schedule:
v Aoraki at Rugby Park, Invercargill – Saturday, September 7
v West Coast at Oamaru – Saturday, September 14
v Canterbury Bulls at Oamaru – Saturday September 21
Great article on southland league and great they get to play on rugby park. Keep it up Logan