Camden Rams are celebrating the club’s inaugural Clayton Cup win after an undefeated first grade season in the 2024 Macarthur Premiership to dominate the Group 6 competition.
The Rams won the grand final 38-26 over The Oaks Tigers to keep their winning streak intact.
“We’ve been in the grand final three years in a row. We sort of threw the middle one away (2023 loss to Thirlmere Roosters 28-26) after having a good lead,” President Greg Copeland told nswrl.com.au
“But this year the boys were focused from the beginning that this was going to be their year.”
The Clayton Cup is awarded annually by the NSWRL to the best performed first grade team in all NSWRL Regional Member Competitions.
The selection criteria includes a club’s win-loss record, points for-and-against, and the number of games and teams in a competition.
The Cup dates back to 1937 with the Camden Rams being only the fourth Group 6 club to claim it after the Picton Magpies (1966), Mittagong Lions (1991) and East Campbelltown Eagles (2012).
“In 1972 we were undefeated until our last game, got beaten on the buzzer and the Clayton Cup went to Cobar,” Copeland said. Cobar also only dropped one game all year but had a better differential.
“A couple of our old boys have kept telling us that story. So there’s been quite a lot of excitement about this year because of how long we’ve waited.
“To do this again might be another 40-odd years. It’s a very prestigious trophy and it’s Camden’s first time – people are really respecting what has been achieved.”
NSWRL Community Football Manager Peter Clarke was on hand to present the Clayton Cup to Camden Rams at the weekend.
Group 6 Chairman Grahame Andrews was also invited for the occasion – he was the coach of Mittagong back in 1991.
Copeland said the bond within the 2024 playing roster was key to the Rams success.
“They went through undefeated showing that their bond was very strong indeed. They trained Tuesday and Thursday nights and attendance at training was high all season,” he said.
“We only had two or three changes from our side last year so consistency has been big for us.
“Another smart thing we did was have a physio there both training nights because you’re never sure that when players needed to see a physio they actually went.
“We could keep them healthy by keeping a closer eye on them.”
It was a good year for the club with the Reserve Grade winning the minor premiership having lost only one game all season, and the Under 18 boys went through undefeated.
“Our club is in very good condition after the COVID disruptions of 2020 and 2021.”
The Rams 2024 stats: Games played - 18 (16 regular season, two finals matches); Games won - 18; Point For - 769; Points Against - 158; Differential - 611; Number of teams - 11 in the 2024 Macarthur Premiership First Grade Competition.
