By JO HARRISON
EVEN though the Armidale Rams were defeated 40-20 by ladder leaders the Glen Innes Magpies at Rugby League Park in Armidale on Saturday, coach Terry Carson was pleased with his side’s performance after what can only be described as a dismal year for the first grade side.
With the return of star forward Gary Quinlan after a six-week lay-off with injury the Rams showed glimpses of what could have been for the 2013 season.
In the first half the Rams showed plenty of promise, scoring first after about 10 minutes before Glen Innes hit back with a couple of tries and then another right on half-time. At the half-time break the Rams were behind 16-6.
“At the break I told the boys to hang in there,” Terry Carson said.
“We knew we could score points and we were dominating them in the ruck. We just needed to be patient.”
Again the Rams started well, scoring early in the second half. The Rams dug deep for about 20 minutes, keeping the Glen Innes side scoreless in what can only be described as an arm wrestle before the Rams buckled, conceding a couple of tries. The momentum shifted well and truly towards Glen Innes, however the Armidale boys managed a couple of tries late in the second half.
“This is the best the boys have played all year,” Terry Carson said.
“Last time we played Glen Innes they put 60 points on us so it was a huge improvement. “
The Rams’ forward line stood up well with Apakuki Mate leading the charge. In the back row Alistair Faulkner was also in fine form, along with lock Jamie Smith.
“We will take a lot out of this game and just keep trying to improve,” said Terry.
“If we play like we did on Saturday there is no reason why we can’t win most of our games that are left in this season.
“If we weren’t playing Glen Innes I think on the form we displayed on Saturday we would have beaten most other teams in the comp.”
Next weekend the Rams play away to Ashford.
