Since making his debut in round one last year, Rampe has gone on to play 48 senior games, including every match of the 2014 season.
With tasks this year on tall forwards such as Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston and smaller forwards including Fremantle’s Michael Walters, Rampe has proved his versatility and has developed into a valued member of the club’s defensive unit.
Speaking to sydneyswans.com.au at the conclusion of the 2014 season, Rampe said he felt confident in his ability and now feels at home at the Swans.
Obviously the loss to Hawthorn in the Grand Final was not the performance the team was hoping for. How are the guys feeling and how are you feeling after that disappointing end to the season?
We’re pretty devastated and I guess it still hasn’t really sunk in. It’s going to hurt for a long time and the challenge now is to get back on the horse and do something about it.
How about your own season in 2014? You’ve got to be pretty pleased with the way you performed in just your second year at the club?
It’s probably too early to really put into words, but it was good to have another year as part of the team. It’s been good to get to know the boys a little bit better and learn how they play, and learn a bit more about myself in an on-field sense.
It was pretty good, and to get into the finals and to the last Saturday in September was good, but we fell short.
Looking at your game this year, what were some of the thing you aimed to improve this season?
It was probably about my consistency. There are always going to be tough patches in games where you’re not getting amongst it or you’re not having the impact you’d like to, but just shortening those gaps and having a little bit more consistency was what I aimed to do.
As a relatively new member of the team, do you feel like you are fitting in and maintaining your spot in the defensive group?
Definitely, and to play every game this year is something I’m pretty proud of looking back on the year. I think it just helps having that stability in the team, and we weren’t as injury-ravaged as we were last year, and that obviously helps to build a pretty solid platform to work on for the year.
The club had four All-Australian selections this year and some that might have come close. Who were some of your team mates who impressed you this year?
Luke Parker was incredible. I couldn’t speak any more highly of him because on and off the field he’s just a ripper and he deserved every success that he got. I was also pretty amazed at Buddy’s professionalism and the way he can deal with the scrutiny and his ability to still be able to perform the way he does says a lot about him as a person and as a footballer.
The boys now have some well-earned time off coming up. What are your plans?
I’m going over to America and will be spending a bit of time over there. We’re doing a bit of a road trip heading from New York to LA, so that will be pretty interesting.
