Jesse Ramien started the year unsure of his place in the Sharks backline pecking order but finished 2018 as a standout performer and a major reason the team was able to push deep into the semi-final series during September.
Big and strong with a powerful turn of speed, Ramien developed into an attacking weapon out wide for the Sharks, with 10 tries in 20 games seeing him end the year as the team's third leading try scorer and a player to be closely marked by opposition defences.
One of those 10 touchdowns, a round 11 four-pointer against the Bulldogs, was voted Sharks try-of-the-year, an accolade which accompanied the Rookie of the Year award that Ramien was handed at the post-season presentation night.
Another spectacular individual effort from Ramien also sealed a result against the Tigers in round 14 when the youngster brushed through the defensive line, beat the fullback and dashed 20-metres to score in the south-western corner of Shark Park.
With Josh Dugan struggling through an injury-plagued campaign more responsibility fell at the feet of the 21-year-old than had been planned as the year began, with Ramien going on to strike up strong combinations with a couple of different wing partners during a solid 2018 season.
Ramien will be missed in 2019 but Sharks fans certainly enjoyed and appreciated his efforts in the blue, black and white in 2018.
Stats
Photo of the Year
This was the final frames of what would become the Sharks 2018 'Try of the Year'. Beating out a number of defenders, including then Bulldog Aaron Woods, Jesse sidestepped his way through to the try line to slam it down. A great shot
2019 – What's ahead
Unfortunately, the salary cap makes it hard to keep them all, and when family considerations influence career decisions as well, occasionally players you would like to keep move on to other clubs.
Such was the case with Jesse Ramien, with the Sharks wishing him well next year at the Knights.
