VIDEO: Grand Final 2014 Full Match + Extras

We put up a good performance against a strong Manchester side but over 4 quarters of footy we came out second best. 

Relive the highs and lows of the 2014 AFLCNE Grand Final with the full video below.

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Manchester Mosquitoes match report (26th July 2014)

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Manchester Mosquitoes match report (26^th July 2014)

The Huddersfield Rams Australian Rules Football Club came up short in their bid to be league Premiers for the first time since 2009 when they went down 107 – 69 against the Manchester Mosquitoes in Sheffield at the weekend.

The Mosquitoes, boasting the strongest squad of the competition, had fielded fourteen Australian players through the course of the season so Rams Head Coach Jason Battye new that his players had to push their abilities to their maximum if they were going to be a competitive foe for this clash. His squad boasted seven current or previous internationals including Full-Forwards Danny Armitage and Luke Booth, who had both kicked eight and seven goals respectively in the previous week’s semi-final triumph over Nottingham Scorpions. The squad also included four players from the club’s successful Greenhead Park introductory sessions in February whom had enjoyed a great season which had seen their skills develop from the rudimentary right through to being able to contribute to a Grand Final team.

A very strong start from the Rams gave them the advantage early on as Armitage and Booth scored when profiting from the intensity around the breakdown of midfielders Sam Gill, Alex Overton, Graham Bickerdike, and James Clayton. Overton kept the points ticking over when he snapped a great goal that belied his 17 years of age illustrating verve and nous on the ball to cut back inside and split the posts from distance. Once again Rams Full-back Brandon Fletcher was up against another strong opponent when he took on the league’s top scorer. He competed very effectively throughout the game both in the aerial contest as well as the breakdown, keeping the Mosquito player less influential on the scoreboard as he had been to all teams throughout the season. The two teams traded goals as the Rams just edged the first quarter 22-20.

Things continued in a similar vein in the second period when Captain Matt Whiteley began finding loose ball at Half-back and effectively sending probing passes into the Rams attacking third. He supplied Karl Haigh who used his experience to calm down the play before slotting in from close range. Manchester kept in contention themselves as their superior game nous enabled them to continue to eke out opportunities and keep a hold on the Rams coat tails. Robbie Wilson scored for Huddersfield and Young Rams Ruckman Robert Yates was overjoyed to grab himself a Grand Final goal when he put one over from a set shot thirty metres out later in the second quarter. He was joined on the score sheet by another first year player, Half-forward Ethan Brady, who picked up the crumbs from a contested mark to kick a clean 6-pointer right on the siren. This gave The Rams an unexpected half-time lead of 48 points to 44.

Talk in the changing rooms was all about maintaining the momentum as well as trying to control the ball in the energy sapping heat as Coach Battye was all too aware of the Manchester players’ higher knowledge and experience of these situations as they played their fourth Grand Final in five years. The hope was that Huddersfield could keep in contention and then go all out in the last quarter. Armitage did score for the Rams, but inaccurate kicking and tiredness started to impact upon the game. Overton, Whiteley, and Fletcher battled bravely, but the higher quality of the opposition and their experience from playing the sport in Aus always meant that they held the advantage over the Huddersfield players. The Mosquitoes scored 28 points to the Rams 9 in this quarter to illustrate their acceleration ahead.

A similar pattern continued in the final quarter as missed kicks at goal and fatigue meant that the Rams could never regain their footing and battle back in to contention.  Armitage scored his third goal right at the end to be the Rams top scorer on the day, but as the final siren sounded Manchester were crowned the deserved Champions of the season. Rams star performer on the day was Matt Whiteley, who also received the excellent news after the match that he was voted the joint winner of the “Best British Player” award during the league’s end of season awards. Coach Battye reflected on the Rams achievement of making the Grand Final as being one of massive pride and progression for the club. He has overseen the development of an all-English squad from fresh faced newcomers to hardened Grand Final runners-up, and he is confident of his squad having an impact in an England Dragonslayer’s international jersey in the not too distant future. The Rams will continue to train throughout the off-season and express an invite to all local sportspeople to come down and give this excellently inclusive activity a go. The Rams can be contacted through various avenues over the Internet.

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Nottingham Scorpions match report (19th July 2014)

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Nottingham Scorpions match report (19^th July 2014)

The Huddersfield Rams travelled to Burnage Rugby Club, Manchester, to face the Nottingham Scorpions in the semi-final of the Central & Northern England Australian Football League this last weekend. Huddersfield had finished the regular season in third position and was subsequently due to play against the league runners-up, Nottingham, in a straight knock-out contest. The Rams had succumbed to Nottingham 105-87 earlier in the season in a game that the Huddersfield side felt they had the opportunities to be victorious in themselves. Head Coach Jason Battye had revenge on his mind as he named the season’s strongest squad of sixteen for this vital clash that would determine which of the two clubs would play in their first Grand Final since 2011. The Rams team was a mixture of youth and experience as it featured six Under 17 players as well as seven international players.

Experience from Cub Founder Karl Haigh and Captain Matt Whiteley would be vital throughout this contest, and it was their control and calmness that gave the Rams the initial impetuous as they supplied full-forward Danny Armitage with clean and calculated ball. Armitage and his partner Luke Booth would be thorns in the Scorpions side all afternoon, and it was their goal kicking that gave the Rams an eighteen point lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Scorpions, fielding a number of very experienced members of their last Championship win, when they beat the Rams in 2011, came back in a very determined frame of mind. Their main threat was supplying their own full-forward colossus Martin Kearney with constant high balls from midfield. The Rams were aware of this threat with their own midfielders of Graham Bickerdike, James Clayton, and Alex Overton putting immense pressure on every opportunity the Scorpions had of getting a clean kick away, Clayton being particularly prominent when smothering kicks. Kearney was expertly shackled by Rams full-back Brandon Fletcher who competed effectively for every high ball throughout the clash. It was Fletchers’ ability compete and the contests and muscle Kearney out of the game which enabled the Rams to keep the Scorpions score down to just 22 at the end of the first half, with the Rams going into the break 59-22 up. Booth, Armitage and Whiteley kept the score ticking over for the Rams.

In their last meeting the Scorpions won the game with a third quarter comeback, and Coach Battye was aware that this next period of play would be a pivotal 20 minutes that would determine who progressed to the Grand Final. The Scorpions came back very strong with Rich Lucas seemingly covering every corner of the pitch as he tried to drag his team back in to the game. Kearney snagged a few goals, and Nottingham was very much in the ascendency. Their England players Ash Swift and Keith Farr started to show their prowess, but this was repelled effectively by the Rams players who were determine to get the victory. The Rams’ midfielders had to once again dig deep. Sam Gill, who was prominent in the rucking contest throughout the game for Huddersfield, grabbed himself an excellent goal when he gathered a loose kick in a congested pack, burst through his would be tacklers and then guided a smart kick through the posts from distance. He was able assisted by Overton who put his body on the line for the team on numerous occasions. The 17 year old engineered a number of goals for the Rams simply by his desire to be the first to the ball, and his sheer persistence and determination to be on the winning side. Booth and Armitage were both the beneficiaries of this hot young prospect’s efforts. The Scorpions reduced the deficit by only one point in this third quarter and with only the one period left the Rams weren’t going to let this game slip away.

The Scorpions needed a big final quarter to stand any chance of making the Grand Final, but again the Rams prevented Nottingham from gaining any kind of momentum. The Rams supplied Armitage and Booth with good ball, creating and scoring some of the best team goals that this club has seen for a number of seasons. Whenever Nottingham threatened to get a run of points together Captain Whiteley and his defence of Lewis Ozanne, Ross Shirtliffe, and Fletcher repelled all such opportunities, breaking up play and distributing the ball effectively to their own midfield and attack. And as time ran out on the clock Booth picked out Armitage under the posts for Armitage to put the icing on the cake and send Huddersfield through to the Grand Final with an extraordinary banana kick from a tight angle. The Rams extended their lead in the final quarter by ten points to see them head to the Grand Final with a 112-76 victory, with Armitage top scoring with 8 goals followed by Booth with 7 goals. The Rams stand out player was Brandon Fletcher for the way he shackled the Scorpions main threat Martin Kearney throughout the game.

The Rams will now play table-toppers and hot favourites Manchester Mosquitoes this Saturday in the leagues’ show piece finale which will be held at the home of Sheffield Tigers Rugby League Club. The game will be another highly competitive fixture as both teams field what could arguably be the strongest two sides in England at the moment, with the Rams looking to grab their first Premiership since their inaugural season in 2009.

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Manchester Mosquitoes match report (21st June 2014)

Huddersfield Rams Australian Football Club v Manchester Mosquitoes match report (21^st June 2014)

In the first of its kind in the North of England the Huddersfield Rams and the Manchester Mosquitoes Australian Football Clubs faced each other at Huddersfield YMCA on Saturday in the latest round of the AFLCNE league season. Extra spice was added to the contest with the knowledge that whoever was victorious would go top of the ladder and be in prime position for the end of season knock out stages, with only two games of the regular season to go. A great contest was on the cards, especially as Huddersfield fielded one of their strongest squads with five full England players and more potential future England representatives being names by Head Coach Jason Battye in his match day sixteen.

The Rams started very strong, battling at the breakdown and quickly supplying the forward line effectively. Graham Bickerdike looked dominant in the ruck, and The Rams looked confident at benefit from this throughout the game. As it was full-forward Danny Armitage scored as The Rams went ahead by two early goals. The Australian heavy Mosquitoes weathered the storm and started to get clean ball to their own impressive forward line as an over hyped Huddersfield squad began to make elementary errors, inviting the Mozzies onto them. Accuracy from the set shot pushed the visitors beyond the Rams’ score to give them an end of quarter twelve point 32-20 advantage.

The Rams battled to stay in contention in the second phase of the match with Matt Whiteley and Alex Overton trying to wrestle the momentum back to the Yorkshire side. However lapses in concentration and the regularity of being caught on the back foot meant that the Mozzies were able to keep pushing on and extend their lead. Karl Haigh, at full-forward, tried his best to keep the Rams side of the scoreboard moving with brave forward play, as did Luke Booth at half-forward. However the lapses and errors from the Rams meant that Manchester pushed their lead out to twenty-two points with a half-time score line of 60-38.

After a half-time re-evaluation by Head Coach Battye, The Rams took to the field with renewed vigour and optimism. A reorganised back three of Lewis Ozanne, Brandon Fletcher and Whiteley became more effective at shutting down the visitor’s main threats. Booth, Overton, and Bickerdike strangled the supply to the Mosquitoes forwards, and Haigh and Armitage began to hit the target up top for The Rams. Impressive dedication and commitment from all areas of the field enabled Huddersfield to outscore the league leaders 27 points to 1 to bring them to within just two points of the lead with two minutes to go until the end of the third quarter. Their tails were up, and it looked like the healthy crowd would be in for a barnstorming last quarter. However two fatigued lapses of concentration enabled Manchester to answer back with two goals themselves to ensure they still had a relatively healthy fourteen point 79-65 lead heading into the last 20 minutes of action.

A relaxed and confident three-quarter team talk prepared Huddersfield to capitalise on their impressive showing in the last quarter and push for that top of the table spot. From the first ball up though it was clear that Manchester still had a lot of running left in their locker as the ball burst from midfield and was slotted between the two uprights to kill off the enthusiasm that had grown in the home side. And this story continued for the remainder of the game as any battle that the Rams players had left in them was all in vain. Big hits from Stephen Hall, Regan Hargreaves, and Ethan Brady still ensured that the Manchester players knew that they had been in a tough game. Fletcher, at full-back, continued to put his body on the line all the way to the end against his more experienced Australian opponent, but a six goal to one impressive final phase performance from the Mozzies ultimately proved too much. The eventual final winning margin of forty-four points gave an artificial feel to the outcome, but it was testament to the Manchester players’ ability to stave off the Rams enthusiasm and desire through educated and controlled game play that to some degree justified the 118-74 score line. The Rams top performers on the day were Armitage, Booth, and Fletcher, with Armitage top scoring with five goals. However, the overriding outcomes of the game were how much both sets of players love to play this sport. The good competitive attitudes from all involved and the huge amount of respect shown from each team at the final whistle was authentication of the morals and unity regularly on show from this ever growing sport. For anyone who would like to have a taste of Aussie Rules they are free to join in The Rams’ Tuesday night (6.45, Huddersfield YMCA) training sessions where they will be warmly welcomed no matter what ability or fitness level they may possess. Huddersfield’s all British squad will have opportunity to once again push for a top four play-off spot when they face the Sheffield Thunder again at Huddersfield YMCA next Saturday (1.30pm ball-up).

FIXTURE CHANGE: Birmingham game to be played in Nottingham

The Rams will now travel to Nottingham next week to face Birmingham Bears instead of the advertised game in Leeds.

TEAM NEWS: v Nottingham Scropions

The Original Team: It changed...

The team has been announced for Saturday's match against Nottingham Scorpions.

Rams 24.24(168) - 2.4(16) Tyne Tees Tigers

FILE PHOTO: Bickerdike looks on as Ozanne clear the footy

Unbeaten again, the Rams continue to press their title claim with a strong performance against league newcomers Tyne Tee Tigers.