The
Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in
Adelaide, South AustraliaAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel
Super LeagueSuper League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
competition, which eventually ran parallel to the rival
Australian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
(ARL) competition in 1997. The Rams lasted two seasons, the first in the
Super League competition in 1997The 1997 Super League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the first and only to be run by the News Limited-controlled Super League organisation...
and the second in the first season of the National Rugby League (NRL) in 1998. The Rams were not a successful club, winning only 13 out of 42 games. However crowd numbers in the first season were the fifth highest of any first-grade club that year, but dwindled to sixteenth in the second season. The Adelaide club was shut down at the end of the 1998 season as a result of poor on-field performances, dwindling crowd numbers, financial losses and a reduction in the number of teams in the NRL. They remain the only team from the state of South Australia to have participated in top-level rugby league in Australia.
Background
The
Australian rules footballAustralian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
code, with origins as far back as 1843, had long dominated sport in the state. South Australia had two teams competing in the national Australian rules competition, the
Australian Football LeagueThe Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL). Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, was considered an Aussie rules stronghold, the home of the oldest Aussie Rules Football league (and the oldest of any code) in Australia; and a viable Rugby Union competition since 1932
Formation
The
New South Wales Rugby League premiershipThe New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
(NSWRL) begun in 1908, as a rugby league competition for clubs in the Sydney region of Australia. In the 1980s the competition expanded outside this region, first to outer Sydney and then to other parts of New South Wales, to
CanberraCanberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and eventually to
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. In 1992 the NSWRL decided to extend the competition further, by admitting four new teams for the 1995 competition from
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, New Zealand and Queensland. The NSWRL also decided to test the viability of a rugby league team from the South Australian capital, and between 1991 and 1995 programmed five matches to be played in
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. These trial games were popular. In 1991, the
St. GeorgeThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
and
BalmainThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
match attracted more than 28,000 people, the largest attendance for any rugby league game in South Australia. Around 20,000 attended the two matches in 1992 and 1993, and around 10,000 in 1994 and 1995. Despite this evidence of popular appeal, the NSWRL, already in the process of setting up a 20-team competition, could not see their way to admitting a team from Adelaide.
In 1995 the media company
News LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
began developing a rival competition to the NSWRL, the "
Super League premiershipSuper League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
". In response to this move the
Australian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
(ARL), the governing body of rugby league in Australia, took over the NSWRL. After eight of the 20 teams in the ARL competition signed with News Limited to play in their proposed Super League competition in 1996, the organization began looking for further teams to make the new competition viable. In June 1995 the
South Australian Rugby League-External links:**...
(SARL), which governs the game of rugby league in South Australia, officially signed with Super League, who subsequently gave them a licence to form a franchise which would allow the SARL to create a Super League team.
The team was owned and supported by News Limited. Former Internationals Tim Pickup and Rod Reddy were named Inaugural CEO and Coach respectively.Pickup played a major role in assembling the playing roster as well as establishing training headquarters. No expense was spared converting a former sanitarium into a world-class sporting complex that was home to the largest weight-lifting gym in the southern hemisphere and he was the Rams delegate for all the Super League court hearings.
On 13 December 1995 the SARL officially launched the 'Adelaide Rams',the tenth and final team to join the Super League competition.
In early March the ARL were successful in gaining an injunction, a legal ruling that prevented the Super League from beginning competition in 1996, and the Rams were put on hold and Pickup stood down from his post in the ensuing months. In mid-1996 News Limited successfully appealed this ruling, which enabled the competition to proceed.
George GreganGeorge Musarurwa Gregan AM is an Australian rugby union halfback who has made more appearances for his national team than any other player in the sport's history....
was approached to be the starting halfback for the new team for "seriously more money than" he would earn playing rugby union, but he opted to remain in the 15-man code. The
first, and only Super League seasonThe 1997 Super League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the first and only to be run by the News Limited-controlled Super League organisation...
, was held in 1997, and the Rams were part of it.
Inaugural season
SARL appointed the former Auckland Warriors marketing manager Liz Dawson as Pickup's replacement as the Rams' chief executive – the first female chief executive of any rugby league club in either the ARL or the Super League. The club had appointed
St. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
mentor
Rod ReddyRod "Rocket" Reddy is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the St. George Dragons between 1972 and 1983 and the Illawarra Steelers between 1984 and 1985...
to be their inaugural coach, along with two-time NSWRL premiership-winning hooker
Kerrod WaltersKerrod Walters is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played most of his club football with the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1992 and 1993 NSWRL Premierships...
from the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
to be the first captain of the team. Most of the other players were drawn from the SARL's lower grade competitions in the region.
The club played its first premiership match against the
North Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and, after leading 16–4 at half time, eventually lost 24–16. Their first home match, against the
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
, was also the Rams' first win, and drew a record attendance of 27,435. This was one of the season's two wins for the Rams at their home ground, the
Adelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
. The Rams also won four away games, but their overall record placed them second last on the premiership ladder.
Adelaide Rams 1997 Super League season results
| Round | |Home | North Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
| 24 - 16 |
Adelaide Rams |
1 March |
Dairy Farmers StadiumThe Willows Sports Complex, currently known as Dairy Farmers Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has historically been used mainly for rugby league, and is the home ground of the National Rugby League club the North...
|
17,738 |
| 2 |
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
28 - 12 |
Adelaide Rams |
9 March |
ANZ Stadium The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
|
16,279 |
| 3 |
Adelaide Rams |
10 - 8 |
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
|
14 March |
Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
|
27,435 |
| 4 |
Auckland Warriors |
12 - 16 |
Adelaide Rams |
21 March |
Mt Smart Stadium Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the home ground of National Rugby League team, the New Zealand Warriors...
|
13,000 |
| 5 |
Adelaide Rams |
16 - 18 |
Perth Reds |
27 March |
Adelaide Oval |
16,294 |
| 6 |
Canterbury Bulldogs |
34 - 22 |
Adelaide Rams |
6 April |
Belmore Sports Oval |
7,234 |
| 7 |
Adelaide Rams |
10 - 20 |
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
13 April |
Adelaide Oval |
17,633 |
| 8 |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
18 - 29 |
Adelaide Rams |
19 April |
Shark Park |
10,112 |
| 9 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
16 - 22 |
Adelaide Rams |
27 April |
Penrith Football Stadium |
5,815 |
| 10 |
Adelaide Rams |
14 - 14 |
North Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
|
2 May |
Adelaide Oval |
15,970 |
| 11 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 - 42 |
Canterbury Bulldogs |
23 May |
Adelaide Oval |
15,022 |
| 12 |
Adelaide Rams |
18 - 34 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
1 June |
Adelaide Oval |
13,894 |
| 13 |
Perth Reds |
4 - 28 |
Adelaide Rams |
29 June |
W.A.C.A The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
|
7,204 |
| 14 |
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
|
10 - 2 |
Adelaide Rams |
5 July |
Topper Stadium Breakers Stadium was an Australian stadium, located in Newcastle, New South Wales. It was the former home of the Newcastle Breakers Football Club, who played in the National Soccer League until 2000. It was also the home ground of the short-lived Hunter Mariners rugby league team who participated...
|
2,345 |
| 15 |
Adelaide Rams |
8 - 18 |
Auckland Warriors |
11 July |
Adelaide Oval |
13,278 |
| 16 |
Adelaide Rams |
6 - 28 |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
8 August |
Adelaide Oval |
7,231 |
| 17 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
58 - 16 |
Adelaide Rams |
17 August |
Canberra StadiumCanberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
|
7,960 |
| 18 |
Adelaide Rams |
36 - 16 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
22 August |
Adelaide Oval |
11,211 |
The Rams did not achieve much greater success in the 1997 World Club Championship, a newly formatted tournament involving teams from both the Australian and European Super League competitions. The Rams won all their matches played in Australia but lost two of their three matches in Europe, which meant that they failed to reach the series finals.
Following the unification of the Super League and ARL competitions after the 1997 season, a new
National Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
(NRL) competition was formed. This meant that three teams would be demised, as part of the rationalisation process aimed at reducing teams to an optimal number. With the introduction of the
Melbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, and an agreement between Super League and the ARL to have a competition limited to 14 teams by 2000, the future for the Rams looked bleak. However, the Rams' home ground support, which averaged 15,330 fans each week, ensured that they remained in the unified 1998 competition.
Final season
The demise of three clubs from the Super League and ARL saw some player re-shuffling, and brought
Noel GoldthorpeNoel Goldthorpe is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s. He played most of his career in the halves for the St George Dragons...
,
Tony IroTony Roy Iro is the Assistant Coach of the New Zealand Warriors, selector and Assistant Coach of the New Zealand national rugby league team and a former rugby league player...
and
Matt DaylightMatt Daylight is a former rugby league player. He played club football for Gateshead Thunder in the European Super League competition. He also had a stint with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and played in the Australian Super League competition for the Adelaide Rams.Daylight was also selected as a...
to the Adelaide club. However, after the Rams lost nine of their first ten games, coach Reddy and the entire coaching staff were sacked by the Rams' administration. Reddy was replaced by former Perth Reds coach
Dean LanceDean Lance is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach, and current football manager at the North Queensland Cowboys of the NRL. He played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership in the 1980s for the Newtown and Canberra clubs, captaining the Raiders for almost 5...
and mid-season saw the arrival of
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
centre
Graham AppoGraham Appo is a Papua New Guinean former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played all throughout the back-line during his long career and was also a talented goal-kicker...
.
In June the club changed home grounds from the
Adelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
to
Hindmarsh StadiumHindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
, celebrating the move with a record 52 - 0 win over the Balmain Tigers.
The club went on to win six of their last fourteen games after Lance's arrival, enough to avoid the
wooden spoonA wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
awarded to the team finishing lowest on the competition ladder. Their overall results were comparable to those of their first season, coming fourth last in the 20–team competition. Appo broke several team records in his 14 games with the Rams. Throughout the 1998 season, the Rams attempted to build a stronger supporter base, to avoid removal from the competition in 1999 or 2000; however, average home attendance dwindled to 7,472 over the course of the season.
Adelaide Rams 1998 NRL season results
| Round | |Home | |Scoreline | |Away | |Date | |Venue | |Crowd |
| 1 |
Adelaide Rams |
8 – 18 |
North Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
|
13 March |
Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
|
11,289 |
| 2 |
Manly Sea Eagles |
22 - 6 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 March |
Brookvale Oval Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located within Brookvale Park at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Warringah Council and is primarily used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rugby league team...
|
6,434 |
| 3 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 - 20 |
Canterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
|
27 March |
Adelaide Oval |
8,390 |
| 4 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
54 - 12 |
Adelaide Rams |
5 April |
Penrith Football Stadium |
6,637 |
| 5 |
Adelaide Rams |
8 - 16 |
Gold Coast ChargersGold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
|
9 April |
Adelaide Oval |
7,058 |
| 6 |
Sydney City Roosters |
50 - 12 |
Adelaide Rams |
17 April |
Sydney Football Stadium |
6,200 |
| 7 |
Adelaide Rams |
12 - 22 |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
25 April |
Adelaide Oval |
8,472 |
| 8 |
Canterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
|
30 - 4 |
Adelaide Rams |
3 May |
Belmore Sports Ground Belmore Sports Ground, formerly known as Belmore Oval, is a multi-purpose stadium in Belmore, New South Wales, Australia. The park covers and from 1951 has contained the Belmore Bowling Recreation Club green. It is close to Belmore railway station....
|
50,41 |
| 9 |
Adelaide Rams |
18 - 24 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
8 May |
Adelaide Oval |
6,500 |
| 10 |
Parramatta EelsThe Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League...
|
18 - 2 |
Adelaide Rams |
16 May |
Pioneer Oval Pioneer Oval is located in the town of Parkes, New South Wales Australia.It was carved out of a hill in eastern Parkes during the depression years and has evolved into one of country New South Wales' premier sporting arenas, playing host to major local, regional, national and international sporting...
|
7,514 |
| 11 |
Adelaide Rams |
35 - 18 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
23 May |
Adelaide Oval |
5,000 |
| 12 |
Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
|
36 - 24 |
Adelaide Rams |
31 May |
Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown Stadium, formerly Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, is a rugby league stadium in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. It is the full time home ground for the Western Suburbs Magpies District Rugby League Football Club and is one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers...
|
6,392 |
| 13 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 - 20 |
St. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
|
6 June |
Adelaide Oval |
8,506 |
| 14 |
Melbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
|
24 - 4 |
Adelaide Rams |
13 June |
Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics complex in the case of the summer games, or the main...
|
8,293 |
| 15 |
Adelaide Rams |
4 - 39 |
Illawarra SteelersThe Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
|
20 June |
Bennett Oval |
5,153 |
| 16 |
Gold Coast ChargersGold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
|
12 - 40 |
Adelaide Rams |
27 June |
Carrara StadiumCarrara Stadium is a sporting venue on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Carrara....
|
3,897 |
| 17 |
Adelaide Rams |
52 - 0 |
Balmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
|
3 July |
Hindmarsh StadiumHindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
|
7,351 |
| 18 |
South Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
|
18 - 34 |
Adelaide Rams |
12 July |
Sydney Football Stadium |
4,060 |
| 19 |
North Queensland CowboysThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
|
14 - 10 |
Adelaide Rams |
18 July |
Dairy Farmers StadiumThe Willows Sports Complex, currently known as Dairy Farmers Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has historically been used mainly for rugby league, and is the home ground of the National Rugby League club the North...
|
11,340 |
| 20 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 - 20 |
Auckland Warriors |
26 July |
Hindmarsh Stadium |
7,445 |
| 21 |
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
46 - 12 |
Adelaide Rams |
1 August |
ANZ Stadium The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
|
13,858 |
| 22 |
Adelaide Rams |
10 - 32 |
Manly Sea Eagles |
7 August |
Hindmarsh Stadium |
7,459 |
| 23 |
Adelaide Rams |
0 - 36 |
North Sydney BearsThe North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
|
15 August |
Hindmarsh Stadium |
7,035 |
| 24 |
Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
|
34 - 20 |
Adelaide Rams |
22 August |
Marathon StadiumNewcastle International Sports Centre is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground of the Newcastle Knights and the Newcastle United Jets teams. It is owned by the New South Wales government and administered by the Hunter Region...
|
17,281 |
The NRL had planned to continue a 20–team competition in 1999, with a reduction to 14 teams in 2000. The Rams' management had their minds set on a place in the reduced competition, and went on a buying spree, obtaining rights for players that they hoped would be productive enough for the team to survive the cut in 2000. However, after the merger between rugby league clubs St. George Dragons and
Illawarra SteelersThe Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
, News Limited told the Rams they would no longer receive funding. The cost of building and sustaining an uncompetitive rugby league team in an area dominated by another football sport had resulted in News Limited incurring heavy financial losses. Subsequent attempts to merge with a Sydney club failed, and the NRL demised the Rams on 1 December 1998. There was disappointment in the lack of commitment shown to the Adelaide club.
Future
While the Adelaide Rams have folded, numbers in junior rugby league in Adelaide have risen, and the SARL has begun again to promote the idea of a team based in Adelaide. Due to its efforts, NRL teams have been brought to the city to revive interest; in 2006 the
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
scheduled a home game at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium while their home ground was under renovation. The NRL helped with the promotion of the match, although the SARL were disappointed with the small crowd of 7,017. In 2008, Sydney based club the
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
announced they would play three matches over the next three years at Adelaide, with coach
Ricky StuartRicky Stuart is an Australian rugby league football coach and former player of the 1980s and 90s. He is currently the head coach of the New South Wales State of Origin team, having replaced Craig Bellamy following a fifth consecutive failure in the 2010 series...
saying he wanted Adelaide to become the Sharks' second home. SARL general manager Bruce Walker has suggested that the NRL itself should take more responsibility for scheduling games in Adelaide. The 2009 match against North Queensland Cowboys attracted 8,547 people.
In 2010, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs took their home match against the
Melbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
to Adelaide in which Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeating the Melbourne Storm 20-18 where the game attracted 10, 350 people at
Adelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
.
In 2008, several NRL club bosses expressed the view that the NRL should be a "national" competition, since it now had teams from all around Australia rather than just on the eastern seaboard. Such a move would increase the competition's revenue. Peter Parr, the CEO of North Queensland Cowboys and former assistant coach for the Rams in 1998, said that if the NRL had stuck with the Adelaide Rams, then rugby league in Adelaide might have flourished, making comparisons with the
Melbourne StormThe Melbourne Storm are an Australian professional rugby league club based in the city of Melbourne. They are the first fully professional rugby league team based in the Australian rules football-dominated state of Victoria....
, a team performing successfully on and off the field in AFL heartland.
Colours, emblem and stadium
The emblem of the team was a ram (a male sheep). The ram was chosen, according to Super League chief executive
John RibotJohn Ribot is an Australian sports administrator and former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. Once a Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative winger, Ribot was the 1980 NSWRFL season's top try-scorer...
, because it was "readily identifiable with strength and hardness". This name was considered a better alternative to the first choice, the
Adelaide Aces, which Ribot believed was too soft a name and did not work well as a brand for a Super League team. The main colours of the Adelaide Rams were red and blue, although there was yellow in their emblem. Their jerseys remained red and blue until the last game they played in 1998, when they used a mainly yellow jersey to avoid a colour clash with the similar jerseys of the
Newcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
.
The Rams' initial home ground was
Adelaide OvalThe Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
, a round park that had been used for
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and Rules for over a century. For their first season they had average home attendances of 15,330, the fourth highest of the Super League teams and fifth highest of all 22 teams in both competitions. In 1998, however, the Rams' home attendances diminished, dropping to an average of about 7,500, the fourth lowest of any team in the 20–team competition.
During 1998, the
South Australian Cricket AssociationThe South Australian Cricket Association is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association runs Adelaide Oval and the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide, South Australia. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cricket League...
had ongoing problems with the SARL and the Rams' use of their stadium, Adelaide Oval. The Rams then moved to
Hindmarsh StadiumHindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....
, a rectangular stadium more suited to rugby league and owned by the South Australian Soccer Association. They celebrated with a 52-0 defeat over Balmain in the their first match at the stadium. However, attendances did not improve after the move, falling below 7,500.
Individual records
Kerrod WaltersKerrod Walters is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played most of his club football with the Brisbane Broncos, with whom he won the 1992 and 1993 NSWRL Premierships...
, the club’s inaugural captain, played 41 games for the Rams, more than any other player. Most of the club's individual records are held by Graham Appo, who scored the most points in a season, along with the most tries in a season, both achieved in 1998. Appo also held the record for scoring the most points in a match, scoring 24 points twice, against the
Balmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
, and then against the
Gold Coast ChargersGold Coast were a professional Rugby league football club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby League premiership from 1995 to 1997, and the National Rugby League premiership in 1998...
. In these matches he scored three tries, another club record. Appo achieved 116 points for the Rams, two more than
Luke WilliamsonLuke Williamson is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for the Harlequins RL in the European Super League competition. He has previously played for the Adelaide Rams, Canberra Raiders, Northern Eagles and Manly Sea Eagles...
. Appo scored the most tries for the Rams with 12; Williamson, with 45, holds the record for most goals.
None of Adelaide's players reached international status during its tenure as a club.
Kevin CampionKevin Campion is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. His positions of choice were in the second row and at lock. Kevin is the younger brother of Australian radio personality Paul Campion...
in 1997 was the club's only player to represent his state or country, having played for the Queensland state rugby league team in the
Super League Tri-SeriesThe Super League Tri-series was a rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand representative rugby league teams...
.
Team performance summary
The Rams did not win any premierships, minor premierships or wooden spoons in their two seasons. Their biggest win was 52-0 over the
Balmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
in 1998 and their biggest losing margin was 42 points, which occurred twice: against the
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
in 1997 and the
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
in 1998. The Rams had a 32.14% win percentage for all of their premiership games, which made them statistically the sixth worst team in first grade rugby league in Australia, out of 33 teams.
External links