By ADEM SARICAOGLU
NEWPORT coach Grant Weir believes his Rams are the best team in Baseball Victoria’s Division Two competition, but says it won’t count for much come finals time.
The Rams went into the New Year’s break on top of the ladder with one game in hand over the neighbouring Williamstown Wolves and now look set for a serious tilt at promotion into Division One.
“No doubt about that – I think we are the best team,” Weir said.
“I’m confident of our players, but that doesn’t mean anything in the big scheme of things.
“I think we’ve got the best team and I’d rather be coaching our team than any other club.”
Newport finished 2012 at 10-2 after stringing three consecutive wins in December, including a nail-biting one-run win over the Wolves.
The win not only cemented the Rams top spot over Christmas – it also reinforced their credentials as a serious threat to the title later this summer.
“It’s been pretty good but there were a couple of close games in there,” Weir said of Newport’s recent form.
“We snatched the game against Williamstown by a run in the last inning.
“We were ahead but the lead changed hands about six times, and then we had a 16-year-old kid on the mound.
“We scored two runs and took the lead and then shut them out in the last inning, so I think I got a little bit more pumped than normal in that game.
“It’s a sign of a decent team when you’re not playing well but still finding a way to win, so there’s still plenty of improvement to go to finish on top.”
The ‘one week at a time’ philosophy has been a common theme within the Newport camp this season, and Weir says ensuring his team continues to improve its consistency is vital to its hopes for success.
“You’d rather be where we are than anywhere else obviously, so you can’t really complain too much, but I can still see where we need to get better,” he said.
“We probably haven’t had a game where everyone’s fired at the same time.
“When our hitting’s been just OK, our pitching and our defence have been pretty good and vice-versa.
“It’s as we move towards the finals that we need good pitching, good defence and good hitting all at the same time.”
