The Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition. The Rams lasted two seasons, the first in the Super League competition in 1997 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.
History
Background
Australian rules football (later, Australian Football League [AFL])
The Australian rules football 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 League (AFL): the Adelaide Crows and , the latter starting in the AFL in the same year as the Rams first season in Super League. Port Adelaide's entry, propelled by a large local fan base in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) competition, and the Crows successes in 1997–98 made it much harder for the Rams to compete for fan support. They were also competing against the popular Adelaide 36ers who played in the National Basketball League (NBL) which at the time ran a winter season. Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, was considered an Aussie rules stronghold, and in the SANFL had the oldest Aussie Rules Football league, and indeed the oldest league of any code, in Australia, as well as a viable Rugby Union competition which had been running since 1932.
NSWRL (later National Rugby League [NRL])
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership (NSWRL) begun in 1908, as a rugby league competition mostly for clubs in the Sydney region of Australia (a team from Newcastle competed in 1908–09), a situation that lasted until 1982. The competition then expanded outside of NSW to Canberra, and to outside of Sydney with a team from Wollongong, and eventually in 1988 to Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Queensland, plus a new team from Newcastle. In 1992, the NSWRL decided to extend the competition further, by admitting four new teams for the 1995 competition, one from Western Australia, one from New Zealand and two from 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 Adelaide at the famous Adelaide Oval. In 1991, the St. George Dragons (whose primary sponsor since the mid-late 1970s had been Adelaide-based winery Penfolds) and Balmain Tigers match attracted 28,884 people, at the time the largest attendance for any rugby league game in South Australia (since beaten when 48,613 attended Game 1 of the 2023 State of Origin series at the Adelaide Oval). The then record league crowd would prove to be the largest attendance of the entire minor round of the 1991 NSWRL season (it was in fact the 6th highest attendance for the entire season, beating the attendance of two of the seven Finals series games). 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 and their preferred option outside of rugby league strongholds of NSW, Qld and New Zealand was to have a team from Melbourne and another in Perth (the Melbourne Storm would be formed in 1998). By the end of 1995, this was apparent as the ARL had already played two international Test matches involving the Australian Kangaroos in Melbourne, as well as three State of Origin games, with Game 2 of the 1994 State of Origin series attracting a then Australian record rugby league crowd of 87,161 to the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Formation
In 1994, the media company News Limited began developing a rival competition to the long-established NSWRL premiership: the "Super League" premiership. In response to this move the Australian Rugby League (ARL), the governing body of rugby league in Australia, took over the NSWRL. After 8 of the 20 teams in the ARL competition signed with News Limited to play in the 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 (SARL), which governs the game of rugby league in South Australia, officially signed with Super League, who subsequently gave it a licence to form a franchise which would allow the SARL to create a Super League team. Another leading factor in the SARL's decision to sign with SL was the promise of greater financial assistance than they were receiving from the ARL. The first, and only Super League season, was held in 1997,
|-
!width=2%|Round !! width=25%|Home !! width="200pt"|Scoreline !! width=25%|Away !! width=14%|Date !! width=20%|Venue !! width=10%|Crowd
|-
| 1 || North Queensland Cowboys || 24–16 || Adelaide Rams || 1 March|| Dairy Farmers Stadium || 17,738
|-
| 2 || Brisbane Broncos || 28–12 || Adelaide Rams || 9 March|| ANZ Stadium || 16,279
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 3 || Adelaide Rams || 10–8 || Hunter Mariners || 14 March|| Adelaide Oval || 27,435
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 4 || Auckland Warriors || 12–16 || Adelaide Rams || 21 March|| Ericsson Stadium || 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 Ground || 7,234
|-
| 7 || Adelaide Rams || 10–20 || Brisbane Broncos || 13 April|| Adelaide Oval || 17,633
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 8 || Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks || 18–29 || Adelaide Rams || 19 April|| Shark Park || 10,112
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 9 || Penrith Panthers || 16–22 || Adelaide Rams || 27 April|| Penrith Football Stadium || 5,815
|-
| 10 || Adelaide Rams || 14–14 || North Queensland Cowboys || 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 Raiders || 1 June|| Adelaide Oval || 13,894
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 13 || Perth Reds || 4–28 || Adelaide Rams || 29 June|| W.A.C.A || 7,204
|-
| 14 || Hunter Mariners || 10–2 || Adelaide Rams || 5 July|| Topper Stadium || 2,345
|-
| 15 || Adelaide Rams || 8–18 || Auckland Warriors || 11 July|| Adelaide Oval || 13,278
|-
| 16 || Adelaide Rams || 6–28 || Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks || 8 August|| Adelaide Oval || 7,231
|-
| 17 || Canberra Raiders || 58–16 || Adelaide Rams || 17 August|| Canberra Stadium || 7,960
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 18 || Adelaide Rams || 36–16 || Penrith Panthers || 22 August|| Adelaide Oval || 11,211
|}
Former Cronulla Sharks goal kicking utility back Kurt Wrigley was the Rams top point scorer for the season with 81 points from 5 tries, 30 goals and 1 field goal. Wrigley, and former South Sydney Rabbitohs and St George Dragons fullback Rod Maybon, were the team's top try scorers with 5 each. Super League's top point scorer for the season was Penrith Panthers centre Ryan Girdler who scored 197 points from 11 tries, 76 goals and 1 field goal while the competition's top try scorer was Canterbury Bulldogs utility back Matthew Ryan who crossed for 17 tries.
Following the unification of the Super League and ARL competitions after the 1997 season, a new National Rugby League (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 Storm (who despite being owned by New Ltd. were not actually a Super League team despite popular belief), 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, the 4th highest out of 22 teams across both the SL and ARL competitions, ensured that they remained in the unified 1998 competition.
World Club Championship
In addition to the Telstra Cup, the Adelaide Rams also competed in Super League's 1997 World Club Championship competition. The Rams were placed in Australasia Pool B along with the Hunter Mariners, North Queensland Cowboys and Perth Reds and would be matched up against teams from Europe Pool B including the Leeds Rhinos, Oldham Bears and Salford City Reds. The competition would see the Rams play three games at home and three in England.
|-
!width=2%|Round !! width=25%|Home !! width="200pt"|Scoreline !! width=25%|Away !! width=14%|Date !! width=20%|Venue !! width=10%|Crowd
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 1 || Adelaide Rams || 50–16 || Salford City Reds || 8 June || Adelaide Oval || 11,009
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 2 || Adelaide Rams || 34–8 || Leeds Rhinos || 13 June || Adelaide Oval || 14,360
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 3 || Adelaide Rams || 42–14 || Oldham Bears || 20 June || Adelaide Oval || 13,852
|-
| 4 || Leeds Rhinos || 22–14 || Adelaide Rams || 18 July || Headingley || 11,269
|- bgcolor=#ccffcc
| 5 || Oldham Bears || 2–18 || Adelaide Rams || 25 July || Boundary Park || 3,513
|-
| 6 || Salford City Reds || 14–12 || Adelaide Rams || 3 August|| The Willows || 6,995
|}
Final season
The demise of three clubs from the Super League and ARL (Western Reds and Hunter Mariners (SL), and South Queensland Crushers (ARL)) saw some player re-shuffling (which saw 1997 Queensland representative Kevin Campion sensationally cut from the club after being told he was not in Rod Reddy's plans for the team), and brought New South Wales halfback Noel Goldthorpe, speedy winger Matt Daylight, and New Zealand national rugby league team test veteran back rower Tony Iro 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 Lance and mid-season saw the arrival of goal kicking Canberra Raiders utility back Graham Appo.
In June after numerous financial disagreements with the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) who at the time owned the Adelaide Oval, the club changed home grounds to the smaller, 16,500 capacity Hindmarsh Stadium, a soccer specific venue which was better suited to a rugby league field than the Adelaide Oval was. The Rams celebrated 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 spoon 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.
The Adelaide Rams last home game in the penultimate round of the season saw a 36–0 thrashing at the hands of the finals bound North Sydney Bears in front of 7,035 fans on 15 August 1998.
Throughout the 1998 season, the Rams attempted to build a stronger supporter base in order to avoid removal from the competition in 1999 or 2000. However, with the team's lack of on-field success, plus the success of other Adelaide-based sports teams who won national premierships/championships in 1997 and/or 1998 including the Adelaide Crows (AFL), Adelaide 36ers (NBL), Adelaide Lightning (WNBL) and Adelaide Thunderbirds (netball), saw average home attendances dropped by more than half (51.3%) from the previous years 15,330 to just 7,472 over the course of the season.
Future
While the Adelaide Rams no longer exist in their own right, 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 Panthers 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 Sharks announced they would play three matches over the next three years at Adelaide, with coach Ricky Stuart 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. However, at the end of the 2008 NRL season, the league's Centenary year, the Sharks decided to concentrate on their home fans and were allowed out of their contract to play in Adelaide after just one game.
In 2010, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs took their home match against the Melbourne Storm to Adelaide in which Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeating the Melbourne Storm 20–18 where the game attracted 10,350 people at Adelaide Oval.
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, arguing that such a move would increase the competition's revenue. Peter Parr, the CEO of the 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 Storm, a team performing successfully on and off the field in the AFL's heartland. 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.
- Hindmarsh Stadium: 7,035 vs North Sydney Bears on 15 August 1998
Lowest attendance (away)
- Topper Stadium (Newcastle): 2,345 vs Hunter Mariners on 5 July 1997
Club records
{| class="wikitable" width="75%" style="font-size:90%"
|-
! colspan=11 |Adelaide Rams
|-
|Effective 3 April 2014
|-
|Biggest Win <td align="left"> 52–0 vs Balmain Tigers (1998)
|-
|Biggest Loss <td align="left"> 16–58 vs Canberra Raiders (1997)
|-
|<td align="left"> 12–54 vs Penrith Panthers (1998)
|-
|Consecutive Wins <td align="left"> 3 – (1998)
|-
|Consecutive Losses <td align="left"> 7 – (1998)
|-
|Clubs (Most Wins Against) <td align="left"> Auckland Warriors – 3
|-
|Clubs (Most Losses To) <td align="left"> Cronulla Sharks – 3
|-
|Adelaide Oval Record <td align="left"> Played 16 – (W) 5 / (L) 10 / (D) 1
|-
|Hindmarsh Stadium Record <td align="left"> Played 4 – (W) 2 / (L) 2 / (D) 0
|-
|First Representative Player <td align="left"> Kevin Campion – Queensland, Super League Tri-series
|-
|First International Representative <td align="left"> Tony Iro – New Zealand vs Australia, 1998 Anzac Test
|}
Biggest wins
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
!Margin!!Score!!Opposition!!Venue!!Date
|-
|52|| 52–0 || Balmain Tigers || Hindmarsh Stadium || 3 July 1998
|-
|28|| 40–12 || Gold Coast Chargers || Carrara Stadium || 27 June 1998
|-
|24|| 28–4 || Western Reds || WACA || 29 June 1997
|-
|}
Biggest losses
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
!Margin!!Score!!Opposition!!Venue!!Date
|-
|42|| 16–58 || Canberra Raiders || Bruce Stadium || 17 August 1997
|-
|42|| 12–54 || Penrith Panthers || Penrith Football Stadium || 5 April 1998
|-
|38|| 12–50 || Sydney City Roosters || Sydney Football Stadium || 17 April 1998
|-
|}
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 Tigers in 1998 and their biggest losing margin was 42 points, which occurred twice: against the Canberra Raiders in 1997 and the Penrith Panthers in 1998.
Of the Rams 13 wins, 7 of them were at home while 5 were away. The Rams final win came in Round 20 of the 1998 NRL season when they defeated the Auckland Warriors 22–20 at Hindmarsh Stadium in front of 7,445 fans. The club's final ever home game in Round 23 of 1998 saw them go down 36–0 to the North Sydney Bears in front of 7,035 fans, the lowest recorded attendance at Hindmarsh.
Players
Inaugural team
North Queensland Cowboys 24 def. Adelaide Rams 16<br>
Date: 1 March 1997<br>
Venue: Stockland Stadium (Townsville)<br>
Attendance: 17,738<br>
Referee: Brian Grant
Footnotes
References
- Mike Colman, Super League : The Inside story. Pan Macmillan Publishing 1996
External links
- Adelaide Rams at the RL1908 website.