'We had no pathway': Woden Valley Rams charge into Katrina Fanning Shield grand final in debut season

A youthful and exuberant Rams side now have the chance to go all the way in their first season in the competition, when they face the Yass Magpies in the Katrina Fanning Shield grand final on Sunday.

The Rams had a team in the Canberra women's rugby league competition until the early 2000s, when the competition folded. In October last year, a vision for the Rams women's tackle to rise again came into fruition.

People might not have expected it at the beginning of the year, but the Rams are only one win away from finishing top of the pile in the Katrina Fanning Shield, the premier local women's competition that has been running since 2017.

Anthony Willey, coach of the inaugural Katrina Fanning side, proposed that the club introduce a senior side to create a pathway for the abundance of emerging talent coming through the ranks.

"We had a lot of talented players that had no pathway past the under-17s," Willey said.

He was given the go-ahead to establish the women's team, and built the foundation of his squad from the talented Rams juniors.

"We've got five or six 17-year-olds, a couple 18-year-olds, and a few 19 and 20-year-olds," Willey said.

"We have a really good mix of youth and experience and the players have gelled really well. The old heads are rubbing off on the new heads."

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Irene MacArthur, 36, is the mum of the group and is relishing the opportunity to roll back the years with this lively Rams side.

"This young side that we have is giving me a lot of energy and enthusiasm," MacArthur said.

"They keep me on my toes, not only on the field but off the field too. They are always reminding me of the current TikTok trends."

Captain MacArthur, has been pivotal to the Rams success, and will be looking to use all her experience to help her side over the finish line come Sunday afternoon at Seiffert Oval.

The former Samoan international placed emphasis on the amazing achievement of the Rams tackle side this year, with half of the side still in their late teens.

"We've got a youthful and energetic side, and this will be their first taste of grand final footy," MacArthur said.

MacArthur's experience stems across both league and union. She was a part of the Canberra Raiders women's nine's side in 2017, and played in the Super W for the Canberra Brumbies.

"Intelligence, experience, and composure, these are the biggest assets I can bring to the team," MacArthur said.

The Rams beat the Goulburn Bulldogs 30-20 in the preliminary final last weekend, and they will be looking to continue those winning ways against the Magpies.

"We won in the last game where it matters, which really encourages us leading into the grand final. The fact that we've done this in our first year is amazing, we are already punching goals. Regardless of the result, it sets the club in good stead moving forward. Hopefully this is a platform they can build off for years to come," MacArthur said.

Their opponents the Magpies are undefeated this year, which gives the Rams an exciting challenge to look forward to.

"Yass are a formidable side, much like Goulburn and Queanbeyan. These are the staple teams and every year they are consistently performing," MacArthur said.

"They've set the bar very high. They are the benchmark team, but in saying that they've got a target on their back."

Yass have had a lack of game time recently, playing only two matches in the past eight weeks. There is potential for the Rams to expose them here, but MacArthur is making sure not to be complacent.

"Every set piece, every tackle, we are going to treat every play like it's the last we are ever going to do," MacArthur said.

The Rams ladies league tag team are also playing in a grand final on Sunday, which caps off an excellent weekend for the club.

Yass forward Samara Afele says the Magpies are more than ready to get on the pitch come Sunday.

"[I'm] just looking forward to playing Sunday, obviously our third game in 10 weeks so just playing some footy at all is going to be awesome," Afele said.

Last year the Magpies were tied first with the Goulburn when the season was cut short due to COVID-19. The side feel as though they still have some scores to settle.

"We've been waiting all year for this moment, as we missed out last year by only getting named minor premiers," Afele said.

Afele is confident that they have been able to adjust their training to properly prepare for Sunday, despite a lack of recent hit-outs.

"We've been pretty fortunate with our club that we have a lot of support, so we are getting players from the other grades to help us get as much match fitness type training as we can," Afele said.

CANBERRA RUGBY LEAGUE GRAND FINALS

Katrina Fanning Shield: Yass Magpies v Woden Valley Rams at 12.10pm

Canberra Raiders Cup: West Belconnen Warriors v Queanbeyan Blues at 3.20pm

Both games at Seiffert Oval on Sunday

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