Melbourne Rising finally got their 2017 NRC campaign up and running with a 41-31 defeat of the Greater Sydney Rams in difficult conditions at Harlequin Oval on Sunday.

Given some of the negative mood music that initially surrounded the latest rebirth of the Greater Sydney Rams, the fact that the players and coaches alike have managed to put any off-field distractions to one side and produce two wins from their opening two games of this year’s NRC, is commendable.

Semi-finalists last year, the Sydney Rays kicked off their season a week after everyone else following their first-round bye, and with a new head coach at the helm in former Wallaby Julian Huxley.