Local football might be done for 2020, but the Western Rams have not stopped planning for the future.
The Rams recently announced that head coach Marty Weaver had signed a contract extension for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, continuing a rebuild of the club that has experienced some of its darkest days recently.
The 100-year-old club was routinely thrashed in the 2019 season, but Weaver said he was excited to continue the job he had started over the recent pre-season and help the club regain respect in the league.
“From where we started in November to where we finished a couple of weeks ago, we’ve come a long way,” Weaver said.
“We were having consistent numbers of above 30 at training every week, which was a big positive, and we worked really hard in the pre-season on recruiting so we’ve had some positives on that front as well.
“There’s a lot of excitement around the club. When I took the job on I was under no illusions about where the club was at, but the commitment is there to get better and the culture at the club is really strong.”
Weaver said almost the entire playing list has committed to playing the 2021 season.
“With all those guys committing, I almost felt obliged to match that and sign on myself,” Weaver said.
“The existing group have gelled really well with the new guys, and with an extra year to add to that and grow as a team I’m hopeful we can turn things around.
“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel for some positivity in the future. We’re not going to come out and set the world on fire, but we’re certainly not going to get done by 300-plus points like we were at times in 2019.
“Me and the players are in this for the long haul.”
Ewen McRae
