After a disappointing 2016 season with just two wins, the Western Sydney Rams have undergone a restructure and will be run out of Eastwood in 2017 and play as the Greater Sydney Rams.

While John Manenti will coach the side and all matches will be played at TG Millner, Manenti says the side is much more than just an Eastwood team in a different jersey.

“When you look at the squad, you quickly see it’s not just an Eastwood side, we’ve got 10 plus clubs represented so it’s very much a Sydney team. Besides the fact we’re playing at TG Millner, we don’t have a whole lot to do with Eastwood,” the 2015 Shute Shield premiership winning coach said.

“All the ground work for the competition has been done over the last few years and it’s really starting to gain momentum. We wanted to be part of it and the timing worked out perfectly.”

The Rams are one of two NRC franchises that still haven’t featured in a finals series and Manenti said his first and most important job was to change that.

“Our goal is pretty simple, we want to win rugby games. That’s my job. I’m not here save or develop rugby in certain areas, it’s to win games and if we can do that, the Rams brand will be well supported going forward on and off the field.”

With 10 clubs represented, Manenti admitted his side’s biggest challenge will come in the opening rounds after an extremely limited preparation. Last year, the Rams lost their first four matches, before winning two of their final three games and falling just four points short against minor premiers NSW Country in the final round.

“Looking at the group we’ve got, we’ve got a lot of power runners in both the forwards and backs. We’ve got a lot of direct players, so we’ll look to go through a lot of teams,” the coach said.

“I think towards the back end of the season, we’ll do really well. We just need to make sure we’re competitive early on to give ourselves a shot at the finals.”

Player to watch – Matt Gonzalez (Eastwood)

“Matt is starting to get a good reputation from his work in the Shute Shield. He’s only a little bloke and he might not be our starting halfback but I think he’ll learn a lot from this experience and towards the end of the season, I think he’ll come on in games, make a real impact and excite the crowds with his speed.”

Squad

Katoni Ale, Jai Ayoub, Cam Bailey, Nathan Charles, Duncan Chubb, Ben Cotton, Kodie Drury-Hawkins, Stu Dunbar, Gunz Fuavao, Kevin Fuavao, Jed Gillespie, John Grant, Matt Gonzalez, Adrian Hall, Jed Holloway, David Hickey, Josh Holmes, Rob Lagudi, Fergus Lee Warner, Mack Mason, Kelly Meafua, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Tavita Piukala, Denis Pili-Gateau, Josh Redfern, Hugh Roach, Sam Thomson, Andrew Tuala, Albert Tuisue, Liam Windon.

Round 1 v NSW Country Eagles (home)