The measure of a local sports club isn’t always the premiership cups residing in the trophy cabinet. Sometimes it has more to do with how hard they fight after being knocked to the canvas.
After two winless years in the Riddell District Netball League, the Rockbank Rams know all about life at the bottom.
But now the club is getting back on its feet.
With a new coaching panel, led by A-grade coach Tara Crisp, and a dedicated attitude to training, the Rams have gone from competition easybeats to a team of fighters.
That fresh attitude culminated in the club getting its first win in 730-or-so days earlier this month when Rockbank beat rival Kilmore by seven goals.
“It was a fantastic day for the club,” Crisp said.
“Last year I was down there watching and supporting and I could see how much work the club needed.
“To see the emotion and the looks on the faces of some of the girls who have been playing with the club for years … to finally get a win on the board, it was sensational.”
While the A-grade side broke a drought, the entire club set a new benchmark.
It was also the first time in the history of Rockbank netball that it had achieved a clean sweep with all three of its teams winning.
The club’s B-grade side inflicted a 41-goal smashing, while the C-grade side got up by 10 goals, both against Kilmore.
Crisp joined Rockbank this season following a playing and coaching career at rival club the Melton Centrals.
With her family members playing football at the Rams, she decided to give a helping hand to the club’s netball program.
While rapt the results are already showing, Crisp says there are no plans to slow down as the club looks to continue its rise up the ladder.
“Our next achievement will be to get another win on the board, hopefully sooner rather than later,” Crisp says.
“Once we achieve that, we can build on it with another goal from there.
“The plan is to hopefully make finals. We don’t expect to be in a grand final any time soon.
“A lot of hard work needs to be done, but if we can push and get up into the finals I think that would be a big achievement.”
