Jamie Ramm enters fourth straight year at the helm of Albany in the Great Southern Football League

Albany coach Jamie Ramm is looking forward to another season of growth as he enters a fourth straight year at the helm of the rapidly improving Sharks in 2023. Ramm is the longest-serving league coach of the expansion club and is fresh off a highly successful 2022 which saw the club reach a maiden Great Southern Football League grand final. The Sharks finished in fourth spot last season but reached the decider after two thrilling finals wins over Royals and Mt Barker in the semifinal and preliminary final respectively, a decade on from fielding their first league team. Railways took the flag home for the second straight year, thwarting the dreams of a fairy-tale end to the Sharks’ season but a stacked list of young talent and more finals experience has Ramm feeling positive ahead of 2023. “I’ve always felt the club have had a lot of different coaches so it’s good to have some stability with the same people,” he said. “Not just me, the whole committee in the same spots for a little while is good to settle it down and we finished well last season which also helps. “For next season, it’s just as important to make sure we’re competitive more than anything. “We’re quite young and we’ll be a bit different from last year, all the teams change a little bit but it’s really about getting a good local side that plays each week. “I hope the young ones can keep improving, that’s a main focus. “I don’t think we can get too ahead of ourselves this year, to me it’s more about developing for the next few years. “If we can get this group to stay together and keep going, that would be great.” Ramm said the group remained enthusiastic ahead of the season-opener against Denmark-Walpole on April 22. “Definitely, training has been great right from the young kids to the 16s, colts and all the way up to the league. Numbers have been good and everyone is really excited.” In the other grades Murray Anning will coach the reserves side while Tom Bowles and Gav Shepherd will be co-coaches of the colts team and Rogan Coffey will take the reins as 16s coach.’