15 Facts About Adelaide Rams

Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia.

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 in 1998.

The Adelaide Rams were not a successful club, winning only 13 out of 42 games.

The Adelaide Rams 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.

In early March 1996, the ARL were successful in gaining a federal court injunction, a legal ruling that prevented the Super League from beginning competition in 1996 and the Adelaide Rams were put on hold causing Tim Pickup to stand down from his post in the ensuing months.

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The Adelaide Rams won four away games with their first being in Round 4 against the Auckland Warriors at the Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, but their overall record of 6 wins, 11 losses and 1 draw placed them second last on the Super League premiership ladder, one win ahead of North Queensland.

The Adelaide 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.

However, after the Adelaide Rams lost nine of their first ten games, coach Reddy and the entire coaching staff were sacked by the Adelaide Rams' administration.

The Adelaide Rams' management, led by newly named CEO, former dual rugby international and Manly-Warringah 1987 premiership player Michael O'Connor, had their minds set on a place in the reduced competition, and went on a buying spree, obtaining rights for players that they hoped would be productive enough for the team to survive the cut in 2000.

You cannot expect the Adelaide Rams to have won over South Australians after just two seasons in such an Aussie Rules stronghold, especially given the extraordinary nature of those seasons.

The main colours of the Adelaide Rams were red and blue, although there was yellow in their emblem to reflect South Australia's traditional sporting colours.

The Adelaide Rams then moved to Hindmarsh Stadium, a rectangular stadium more suited to rugby league and owned by the South Australian Soccer Association.

Rams highest attendance at Adelaide Oval was 27,435 set in their inaugural home game against the Hunter Mariners.

In 1998, the Adelaide Rams played their Round 15 home game against the Illawarra Steelers at the Bennett Oval in Whyalla, in part due to Whyalla's main employer being BHP who were the Steelers major sponsor.

Adelaide Rams did not win any premierships, minor premierships or wooden spoons in their two seasons.