Western Rams coaches Shane Rodney and Tony Woolnough will be looking for their sides to lift for their final trial matches before squads are cut.
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The Rams Andrew Johns (under 16s) and Laurie Daley (under 18s) Cup train-on squads played Riverina Bulls in trails on Saturday, January 13 in West Wyalong.
They will now face Greater Northern Tigers on Saturday in Binnaway before the final squads are named.
Under 16s coach Woolnough said he was hoping for a more focused performance from his chargers but was excited about what he had to work with for the 2024 competition.
"The trial was good but we have a lot to work on," he said.
"On the first run back I wasn't expecting miracles and we didn't play our best but still won so that's positive.
![Jodan Porter is part of the Laurie Daley Cup train-on squad. Picture by Jude Keogh Jodan Porter is part of the Laurie Daley Cup train-on squad. Picture by Jude Keogh](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/131358433/1630c7c5-fa00-4fdb-8342-e7a1ee28b818.jpeg/r2862_642_6311_2623_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Hopefully we've blown a few cobwebs out before the next trial against Greater Northern this weekend. We'll cut the squad down a bit and hopefully perform a bit better.
"It wasn't anything major, ball handling and things like that we can fix. Maybe they were trying a bit too hard.
"Our 20 will be good. We'll go into camp in Burrendong in a few weeks and I'm pretty confident."
His thoughts were echoed by Rodney with the Orange Hawks senior coach saying the Tigers clash would give him a clearer picture of the squad's strengths and weaknesses.
"It was a tough hit out for the boys after just coming back from a four week break with only one session to prepare," he said.
"There was some good stuff and some poor stuff and plenty of room for improvement.
"They will all be better for the run and I should have a better understanding of where we are at after this coming weekend's trial against the Tigers."
Both Rams sides kick off their campaigns against Macarthur West Tigers at Kirkham Oval in Camden on February 4.
Andrew Johns Cup (under 16s)
- February 4: Macarthur Wests Tigers v Western Rams - Kirkham Oval, Camden
- February 11: Western Rams v Riverina Bulls - Sid Kallas Oval, Cowra
- February 18: Western Rams v Monaro Colts - Jock Colley Oval, Parkes
- February 25: Illawarra South Coast Dragons v Western Rams - Ron Costello Oval, Shellharbour
- March 2: Western Rams v Northern Tigers - Cale Oval, Narromine
- All matches kick-off at 10am
Laurie Daley Cup (under 18s)
- February 4: Macarthur Wests Tigers v Western Rams - Kirkham Oval, Camden
- February 11: Western Rams v Riverina Bulls - Sid Kallas Oval, Cowra
- February 18: Western Rams v Monaro Colts - Jock Colley Oval, Parkes
- February 25: Illawarra South Coast Dragons v Western Rams - Ron Costello Oval, Shellharbour
- March 2: Western Rams v Northern Tigers - Cale Oval, Narromine
- All matches kick-off at 11.20am