Rams zero in on

For a club as starved of footballing success as Natimuk United – and one of its antecedents, Natimuk – has been, it is easy to understand why it might get ahead of itself when things start going right. With the Rams on the cusp of their third straight finals berth after a 20-year dry spell extending back to 1997, coach Sam Anson admits complacency has been one of the team’s biggest enemies in 2019. Keen to atone for back-to-back elimination final defeats in 2017 and 2018, the Rams started this season superbly, winning their first five games to stand shoulder to shoulder with reigning premier Harrow-balmoral at the top of the ladder.

But the team lost three of its next four games and, by the end of round 10, dreams of a top-three finish suddenly seemed remote.

“We got a bit cocky, I think,” Anson said. “We were in unknown territory a bit because our side hasn’t been in that position for forever – for a very long time.”

To the Rams’ credit they refocused and reeled off wins in six of their next seven games, keeping themselves squarely among the top handful of sides in the league.

Anson said a refocused attitude and the perseverance of his charges despite a spate of injuries had helped put the Rams back in a position to challenge for their first finals win in more than two decades.

“I think we stopped getting complacent. The boys are hungry after last year when we bombed out in the first final, and I think that sticks in the back of everyone’s head,” he said.

Anson said the next challenge was getting an injured list back to full strength for a finals tilt.

“I think the biggest lesson we learned from last year is to not go into a final with injured players,” he said.