Open Training Session

Last week, before the team packed up for their bus trip to Newcastle for the final game of the year the club organised an open training session for the fans. While it was an early start for me and it was the day of the election, I knew I couldn't miss this opportunity. I always love seeing the boys as much as possible and I knew this would be my final time seeing the players for the year, especially those departing players. I wanted an opportunity to say goodbye and thank you so I wasn't going to allow myself to miss this.

Emma and I met up at Parramatta and made our way through giant lines of people waiting to vote at the town hall and instead sat down in the sun stricken Parramatta Stadium. Looking around at the stands it really hit me just how much people had given up on the team. The barely packed stands really saddened me and I couldn't help but imagine that the players wouldn't be able but to take note of the lack of fans for the day. This made me feel even more assured that I will never give up on this team that I have seriously grown to love and adore. And I always see it as their loss. They don't come to the events so that means I get easier photo opportunities and chances to mingle with the players. And I did do just that.

After watching the players train in the unbelievable heat, and sharing a few laughs with Emma about the training exercises they were required to do and just how the players approach those, we moved over to the side of the field waiting with the other fans to be let onto the field to get up close and personal with the boys. I have to take a moment to applaud the fact that this was the most well organised fan event I have been to since I've been a supporter of the team. Occasionally, I have had my moments where I've felt disappointed because I only got to get a few photos or signatures because the players abruptly would leave. But this time all the players were so willing and patient with the fans. I was able to get photos with just about everyone that I wanted, and even had a little chat with both Darcy and Luke.

One thing I have to take from this whole day, and this ended up causing a commotion on twitter and different social networking sites, was that Jarryd Hayne was the best he's been in a long time. Now I do have to note that it's interesting that people will acknowledge the days in which he is and isn't good to be around because I think a lot of people have come to realise the type of player that he is. I will always be a Jarryd Hayne fan. I'm one of the biggest ones out there for goodness sake, I idolised the guy at one stage. While it may appear that I have "moved on" as some word it, I will always consider him an inspiration. He's still an idol in my eyes, but there is no denying that he is strongly misunderstood. I wish I could broadcast to everyone that he isn't the arrogant, rude person that they have believed him to be. There have been occasions that I have seen him and he isn't a happy, bubbly person that he can be. With this, he's human. I applaud those players that can put on a fake persona around fans when they deep down are hurting, but unfortunately Jarryd can't do that. Why should anyone judge him for that though? Cast your mind back to 2009. As eels fans just the mention of that year brings a smile to our faces and instantly visions of Jarryd "simply dancing" appear in our minds. At this stage, let us remember that he was at the young age of just 21. Imagine being thrown into the spotlight and instant football fame at just 21. Always in these situations I have to throw the cliche line of, put yourself in their shoes. Instead of belittling him for those times that he's just wearing his heart on his sleeves, learn to appreciate and treasure those moments where he is taking hundreds of photos and signing hundreds of autographs all while wearing a smile. I give the guy full credit because despite those times in which he has only choked out a couple of words to me and I felt say disappointed, I still wasn't empty handed. He rarely leaves fans with nothing so quit asking for everything.

Overall, the day was a great success in my eyes. Even so I found myself uncharacteristically saying things to players or people that not long ago I would've been too shy to do. I even managed to introduce myself to the media staff for the eels and a group of us got a photo with them. Who even does that? I do apparently.

It was so great to see the boys for one last time this year and bid farewell to a forgettable year and look towards the future. Never have I been to an eels organised event that has left me feeling let down and this was definitely no exception. There is always something that happens that will be sure to keep a smile on my face all day and cause me to tweet up a storm telling everyone what had happened - even if it appears to be insignificant in their eyes.  Here's hoping for more memories with the team that I love next season. Until then, I do wish the boys a restful off season but a forceful preseason.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra for 2014!
- Victoria

Darcy Lussick - only I would complain to him about being hot in jeans oh man

Jarryd Hayne - cause everyone needs a selfie with the man

Luke Kelly - no one was going to him, like why?!

Mitchell Allgood - seriously sweetest guy!

Reni Maitua - gonna miss him! :'(

Semi Radradra - nicest guy out!

"you tweet a lot"

Round 25 - Eels vs Dragons

I know it seems a little pointless to update my blog with a post about a game that happened a few weeks ago, but I can't ignore the fact that it was Parra's last win for the year and it was the final game at Parramatta Stadium - the stadium that ended up holding all 5 of the wins for the year. I'm not going to fixate on anything too greatly because the season is over and since that game so much more has happened, including the thrashing by the knights the week later. In a quick summary though, I have to give full credit to the boys for fighting through that game. It proved to be a tricky game that they definitely had to fight for but they pulled through and at the end of the day they got the 2 points and gave fans a reason to smile for a couple of days.

I was genuinely happy purely for the fact that the departing players had a chance to enjoy the experience of a Parrramatta Stadium home game just one last time due to the brilliant decision to move the venue from ANZ. It's always a bummer to leave the stadium that all fans have grown to love knowing that the next time we'll be there with a buzzing crowd echoing the "Parra!" chant and a sea of blue and gold colours across the stands will be March next year. It would've been much more enjoyable to be able to say that this game was the final game of the season, but I'll settle with a win for the final Parramatta home game instead.

Despite everything that has and will continue to happen this season, I hope to see all the amazing blue and gold army faithfuls at Parramatta Stadium next year for what we can only pray will be a better season.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra!
- Victoria

back in my moon boot days *sigh*

Round 22 - Eels vs Tigers

I have honestly missed the feeling of waking up the night after my team won, but this morning I finally got to experience that feeling all again and let me tell you, it's the most incredible feeling. Before I go into any detail about the game I just want to say that I know it was one win. Even with the win last night I know they're still last place and they still have only won 4 games. I know it was a very messy win and a win against a 15th place team in disarray but despite everything, I'm still going to enjoy this win as much as I possibly want. I think every single blue and gold army member deserves the chance to smile this weekend because we haven't had much to smile about all year yet so many people still stay true to their team and make their way to the different venues to cheer on a last place team. The fans deserved that win just as much as the actual team.

Unfortunately though, the day couldn't all be good. During my 3 hour break at uni I found myself sitting in the waiting room of Balmain Hospital with a potentially dislocated shoulder. This then of course led me to drug myself up on pain killers, bare the horrible look of an arm sling and make my way to the game despite it all. Really, this didn't have much of an affect on me for enjoying the game, though it did definitely make seeing the boys afterwards a little interesting. After 80 minutes of cheering with one arm and clapping on my knee rather than with both hands, I walked away from the stands very happy.

Where can I honestly begin with Jarryd Hayne? He didn't have an absolutely spectacular game, yet he was all anyone could speak about afterwards. There's reasoning for that too. Everyone around him seemed to look so much more confident and dedicated. Last night's game, more than any, just proved how much of a leader Jarryd is and just how much he honestly lifts the team. I never want to be a person to say that the eels are a one man team, because ultimately it's bullshit. They aren't a one man team, though they are dependent on one man. The statistics of games won without Hayne is actually unbelievable and a little sickening but unfortunately we have to deal with it. Last night was reassuring in the sense that they broke a horrible, embarrassing loosing streak but I'm more looking forward to the next weeks now. Let's see if they can wrap up a couple more wins and avoid that dreaded, horrible wooden spoon now that Hayne is fit and back - hopefully at five eighth too.

Rather than just focusing on Hayne, I have to express my congratulations to the whole team. There were some silly errors, showing true form for the eels, but ultimately it was a heart felt performance. They never gave up and that is all I have ever asked for as a fan. I want to be able to walk away from a game, despite the score, knowing that my team tried and did everything they possible could have in order to win. And last night I got what I wanted.

Continuing with the positive outcomes, I hung around after the game again hoping to see the boys. This time, we had to wait quite some time but I was able to hang with a few amazing girls I had met through twitter or instagram and we shared different stories about our favourite players which definitely made time pass. Through this, I realised just how much the eels have helped me meet new people and make new friends. I'm so grateful for all the amazing people I've met through the NRL and I seriously hope I continue to meet incredible fans like I have this year. To anyone that has possibly seen me at games or fan days but haven't wanted to say hey, please do. It really means so much to me and I promise, I'll be happy to meet you and so glad that you did approach me.

It was so amazing to see the boys after a win because they were all smiling so much and genuinely looked happy. Someone that wasn't so happy though was their security who continued to hurry them along and scold them for staying to talk or take photos. While it was aggravating, having Darcy say to Emma and I "Just ignore him, who cares." was so amazing because it proved that he wanted to stay and talk and take photos. He was so happy to see us, and legitimately seemed concerned when he asked what had happened to my arm and expressed how worried he was about hurting me during the photo. I told him about what had happened and when I said that it had happened that day he looked so shocked and shaking his head in disbelief he told me how he thought I was such a loyal fan and how appreciative he was. This moment of them all, was the most amazing. Being acknowledged is something that I think any fan every really wants and it was awesome to have Darcy acknowledge my love for the team and willingness to go to as many games as possible.

I also got the chance to have a little chat with Luke Kelly and let him know I thought he had been playing well and he mutually asked what had happened to my arm and gave me credit for hanging in there for the game too. While leaving too, Emma and I ended up walking with Mitchell Allgood and Darcy to the leagues club because that's where we were getting picked up and I managed to choke out a little joke about how we promised we weren't following them and they both respectfully laughed. During this time I also said a quick hello to Jarryd and Reni and shared a simple "good game tonight!" which they both replied to very nicely. To top the whole night off, Darcy liked my photo on Instagram and backed it up by following me. Now I've gotta make sure to stay sane on there! (hey, chuck me a follow on Insta too: victoriagarry)

Overall, amazing night and can't wait to make my way to ANZ in a couple of weeks to see the boys take on the Dragons after two weeks on the road. Fingers crossed for some more whole-hearted performances by the boys.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra!
- Victoria

awkward sling photos aw

Round 21 - Eels vs Sea Eagles

Hey strangers! I know I've been a little absent, and I missed out on a blog post for the bulldogs game last weekend...not that there was really too much to blog about with that game. A quick little explanation just to let you all know that the reason I was absent was because I went back to uni and I've been a little full on with work already, so I do apologise! But it was so good to get a break from my intense uni schedule for a night out at Parra stadium for the match against Manly.

This game has actually been greatly anticipated all year because my footy buddy, Emma, is a major Sea Eagles fan and this night was hopefully going to be the night she finally met her favourite player Kieran Foran. And just to top off an amazing win for her boys, she did indeed get to meet Mr Foran as well as many other Eagles players. It was so amazing to see her with her boys considering the countless times she has accompanied me to different Eels games and events. Next step is getting her an awesome encounter with Kieran, like I've had with Darcy. Soon they'll be best friends...I just know it.

cute couple or what

I'm not going to go into great detail about the actual game, because you all know how I feel. And if you're a Parramatta fan yourself, you definitely know exactly how I feel. There's no point repeating myself every single week. Same old "there were good signs but ultimately we beat ourselves" sort of scenario. Once again, the only real absolutely amazing thing to come out of that game was Darcy Lussick's performance. While the team continues to do horribly, he's continuing to get better and better. Those 2 hits on Brenton Lawrence and then Justin Horo in the one set just showed how much effort Darcy puts into his football and how he'll try his heart out and ass off no matter what the score line is. I will say that I am gutted that they lost, especially by the amount that they did, purely because of him. Did they really have to get absolutely killed by his old team twice? Not fun stuff.

Ultimately, like always, I still had an awesome night out at the game and had so many laughs and took plenty of crazy photos. We of course saw Darcy afterwards and it was pretty hard to handle because he was so obviously gutted. Despite the fact that he most likely didn't really feel up to interacting too much, he still stuck around with us, which this time involved Jacinta finally, and had a quick chat and took some photos. It's funny to note that a dejected and hurting Darcy is still more fan friendly that a large majority of most players. We got a funny photo with him, and it's one of my favourite photos ever now especially because he decided to turn and look at me while pulling a face during the photo and I couldn't control myself from laughing which you can notice in the photo. Everything besides the score line of the game was just great last night. Another amazing eels experience well enjoyed.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra!
- Victoria

Kristelle decided to be a Parra fan for a night, aw

the three best friends ever?

Round 19 - Raiders vs Eels

The day started off a positive one as soon as I discovered that the game was a 5:30 kick off and considering I had plans for later in the night, this meant I'd be able to comfortably enjoy both of them. Well, comfortably enjoy is a bit of an over statement. Countless dropped balls, silly penalties and missed opportunities made the game that much more difficult to watch. The weather really wasn't on Parra's side too and I can only imagine how much they were struggling with the vicious conditions so regardless of any of the errors and the final result, I really have to commend every player for fighting through and battling through the pain the weather would've been providing.

All I can really say is that at least I'm seeing effort. They are trying and they're getting results through the final scores, just not the 2 premiership points. At this point in the season, some more wins would make it more enjoyable as a fan but it's really not that important anymore. Considering there's a very, very low chance of them even avoiding the wooden spoon let alone making the final eight, it's reassuring to see that they are looking to improve. It shows that despite everything this season, they still care and that's all I can ask for now.

Following my tradition of tweeting Darcy after the game, I sent out a tweet to share my true beliefs of how I feel he did during the game. And like always, he never disappoints as he sends off a quirky reply. Regardless of the fact that I'm a huge fan of his, Darcy is really impressing me at lock. As soon as Ricky made the decision to switch him to lock, which allowed him to start the games, he's been showing nothing but positive signs. The fact that he's played at least 60 minutes every game at lock besides last night really shows how much he's loving the switch too and his form has been showing it. I couldn't be more proud.

I was also very impressed with Luke Kelly. I thought he had quite a solid kicking game and he's really showing Ricky that he wants that halfback spot and considering the way he's gone the past two weeks, I think Chrissy Sandow is going to have to make himself quite comfortable in that Wenty uniform. That is if he decides to man up and play for them of course.

There was no one that I was extremely disappointed with too which made me feel so relieved as a fan. Throughout the years I have been very, very critical of Ben Roberts and Joseph Paulo but last night, I had no reasons to curse their names and throw my arms up in anger which is always nice.

I'm slowly feeling the affects of having to wait another week for the next Eels game but I'm very excited for the annual Bandage Bear cup match against the Bulldogs. It always turns out to be a good match and it's for an even more amazing cause. Bring on the doggies.

In other news, I go back to uni tomorrow. Please all take a moment to cry for me.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra
- Victoria

Round 18 - Eels vs Panthers

I sniffled my nose as I rolled over onto my side to hastily find my phone to turn off the ear screeching sound of my alarm. I was only awake for about 20 seconds and I already knew I was going to have to spend a fair bit of time trying to convince my parents, my mother in particular, that I was well enough to attend the football that night. I was feeling better than I had before, I'll admit that but I most likely wasn't quite football attending ready. This didn't stop me though. I popped some panadol, washed my Parramatta Eels polo shirt that I had only just warn 5 days before at their game in Brookvale and hoped that throughout the day I would feel better. And I did. I should've realised that there would've only been so much luck going my way that day so of course the team was going to loose, but as long as I got to be there still cheering them on, I was happy.

I made plans with my full blown Manly Sea Eagles supporting friend Emma, who has lovingly become my buddy for games that my dad can't attend due to work requirements and we quickly agreed that we would be attending the game with a family friend of hers, Matt. I was a little hasty of the idea purely because I was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to "fangirl" over the players if he was there, but shortly after I arrived I realised I wouldn't have a problem and considering his die hard fan attitude towards the eels, I was going to have a very fun night. I wasn't wrong, and we spent the majority of the game chatting instead of really paying attention. We did watch when it mattered though, and walking away from that Northern Terrace grandstand I can honestly say it was one of the better performances by the boys. The scoreline proves that. 7 points difference isn't something to shed tears over.

After the game, Matt got to experience what Emma and I do after games and why we really, honestly enjoy attending games together. He was like a little kid in a candy store. Football players and officials everywhere and he couldn't decide just one person he wanted a photo with and chat to. Through time though and after hearing my story about Darcy Lussick giving me his shorts after the sharks game, he became very set on the idea of getting Jake Mullaney's shorts or jersey purely for one reason: Jake is small and Matt is small. With that, we had our plan. See Darcy, get Jake's shorts. Now we knew that seeing Darcy was much more likely to happen than getting Jake's shorts, so we settled for the idea of at least seeing Jake and getting a photo.

We waited around for quite some time and after some short encounters with Mitchell Allgood in which Matt expressed his love for "what he did to Steve Matai" and Hindy where he was too scared to even say anything, we were told that the players weren't going to be coming out. Finally, I thought my luck of seeing Darcy so quickly after games had run out before my friend Kasey, who was standing in the friends and family bay near the sheds told us about the secret form of escape for the players. Again, we waited. And waited. Until finally, from a distance we saw a small group of men all wearing the same navy blue tracksuit approaching our direction.

I relaxed myself because I knew that Darcy would most likely recognise me and I didn't want to get a reputation with him as that freak that can't contain herself around him even after meeting him multiple times. I allowed him to interact with a few fans and watched on patiently as he graciously took photos and autographs. As he began to walk away I gently called out his name and gave a slight smile. To my disbelief, he gave me the biggest smile and headed in my direction instantly while greeting me. Before either of us got to say anything about taking a photo, we were distracted by a little boy who was obviously caught up in the commotion of all the eels players around him as he just stood there like a deer in headlights. Laughing, I looked down at him and then back up at Darcy. Shaking his head, Darcy ruffled the little boy's hair and gently moved him out of the way before wrapping his arm around me for a photo. I've really grown to love that concept of him wrapping his arm around my shoulders for photos. It's such a simple gesture, but it's so nice. After the photo, I looked up at him (I really do have to look up, that guy is a giant seriously) and smiled while thanking him, assuming that he'd quickly leave as I've become so accustomed to with multiple players. Instead, he asked me how I was and thus began an actual conversation between him and I and quickly joined in by Emma and Matt. We actually shared in some joking around with laughs ranging from me teasing him that he couldn't play a full 80 minutes like he had against Manly to him teasing Jake Mullaney and Matt for being small. After he was long gone I was still astounded at the fact that he had asked how I had been and continued to talk to us when he easily could have walked away like other players around him were doing. Each time I see him, and it's only been a few times so far, I'm growing to love him more and more.

Matt never did end up getting to see Jake, and Darcy explained to me on twitter later that it was because he was picked for a random drug test so he was held up, but regardless the three of us had an awesome night and Emma and I have officially turned Matt into a fanboy I think. Once again, I'll continue to say that I don't love my Parra boys because of what happens on the field. It's all about what happens once they're out of their uniforms and boots and off that field.

Happy reading! Stay well and Go Parra!
- Victoria

Twitter

Do you know how hard it is to write the sentence "I owe a lot to Twitter" and sound completely sane? Oh well, by now most people know I'm really not that sane of a person. Sometimes I get into those states where I'm quite the opposite so saying that I owe a lot to a social networking site really isn't that out of the ordinary for me. But in all complete honesty, I really do. Not only does it provide a simple way to let out some of my emotions or share my opinion on something as well as the ability to share photos and videos of people like Channing Tatum or Novak Djokovic but it's created some really amazing relationships for me.

I have to start off with Jacinta. This girl, is honestly like a little sister to me. She is so incredible and I honestly feel lost when I haven't spoken to her at least once in a day. I followed her on the beautiful site a while ago. Perhaps in 2011, but our amazing friendship only really blossomed to what it is now this year. While I'm saying I owe a lot to Twitter, with this friendship I also do owe a lot to tennis. This girl, loves Bernard Tomic and through her love and my love for the amazing world number one we bonded and now we have inside jokes and a three way best friend relationship with Darcy Lussick...even if he wont quite admit it yet. I feel like I can tell her anything, whether it's to do with something quite personal that I'm dealing with or if it's just to fangirl about something that a hot guy did. Regardless of what it is, she always listens to me and has the most amazing, genuine responses. She makes me feel appreciated and that's something not many people can provide in a persons life.

Now Christina. This girl is honestly the most funny person I know and she doesn't even realise. She is without a doubt, the snapchat queen and I feel honoured to receive some of her legendary photos and videos. When she isn't running around her house with her beautiful amazingly straight hair flaying about behind her, she's most likely talking to you about whatever you want to talk about. She is just always there for you. She'll be the one, when you're sitting at home at 12 o'clock in the morning feeling down, to talk you through it and eventually, without fail put a smile on your face.

Ah, Emma. This girl is lucky that she's so amazing because I could easily own her at the fact that she loves the Janoskians and thinks that every player should be like Blake Ferguson. She might be absolutely crazily demented in that sense, but the fact that she's so sweet and fun really outweighs that. I have this odd need to protect her like a mumma bear with their cub, but it's only because it shatters me to see people hurting such a genuine loving person. While she does have some silly, stupid obsessions, I have to give her full credit for her beautiful taste in some things and I love sharing my fangirl moments with her. I know full well, for this season of Geordie Shore her and I will be sharing in some crazy twitter sprees and I can't wait.

What can I even say about Andrea? This girl is a total spastic, and I love it so freaking much. She is so beautiful and hilarious that half the time I can't even understand her thought process in half of what she says and that's what makes talking to her so amazing. Behind her absolutely ridiculous and outrageous statements though, she is so incredibly strong and I feel so inspired by what she has achieved at only 18.

Oh man, Yasmine. This girl is probably my longest running friend through twitter and I love her more and more each day. The fact that I have not met her yet really shatters me but I know that it will happen one day and I can not wait. Her relationship with Beau Ryan (because yes, they are in a relationship yeah..) inspired me to express my undying love for Jarryd Hayne throughout social networking and I've never looked back. While she's a fangirl at heart, she also is so amazingly generous and loving and I truly believe she thinks with her heart rather than her brain. And she comes up with some of the best one liners in history.

Big shout out and hugs and kisses to some of my other amazing girls from twitter - Tina, Alice, Emily, Kaylee and Goldie!

Now, the one you've all been waiting for. The man. D-Dawgs. Darcy Lussick. Yep, I really do owe everything that's happened with Darcy to Twitter. While giving full credit to the man himself for being such an amazing player that genuinely cares about his fans, I probably would have never been able to form the little connection that I do have with him if it wasn't for Twitter. To be completely honest, before Darcy came to the eels I never really believed in a player that actually cared about their fans and wanted to talk to them and make them smile. He showed me that regardless of what happens on the field or even in his personal life, he cares about the fans and he knows that a simple reply on twitter or photo after a game, heck even giving them his shorts after a game will really go a long way. Every single day he continues to amaze me and makes me more and more proud to be a fan of not only the team, but him. It all started back when I saw him at my local shops, Rouse Hill Shopping Village and I was too chicken shit to ask my dad to go up to him for a photo so I did nothing instead. Later that day he made a tweet about the day and in a simple reply, expecting no response in return, I tweeted him. To my disbelief he responded and from that day on, he never fails to disappoint me and he continues to still reply to my tweets - now about 70% of the tweets are normal, but he does even manage to catch that 30% of ridiculously embarrassing tweets that are sent out among myself and Jacinta. With all of that though, he still replies and continues to put a ridiculous smile on my face. All through familiarity from twitter now, I'm able to find myself after a game standing with Darcy having a conversation in which he knows who I am and honestly asks how I've been and talks to me. I can't really say whether I would've gotten to a stage in which Darcy would be able to remember me if it was just through general meetings, but I honestly believe those ridiculous little 140 character messages on that social networking site has made it happen.

Now with all of this that I have said, I still know that Twitter didn't make those people the amazing people that they are, I'm just saying it really helped me finding them and having them become such an amazing part of my life. As well, I still have to say that my friends outside of twitter are the most amazing and life changing people I have ever met and I wouldn't be the person I am without them but my twitter peeps are pretty damn awesome too.

So hey, if you wanna chat on twitter chuck me a follow yeah. Expect many tweets about Darcy Lussick, Jarryd Hayne, The Parramatta Eels, Channing Tatum, Novak Djokovic and many more okay. @victoriahayne_1

Happy reading! Stay well and go Parra!
- Victoria

A little about the blogger...

So at the moment, I'm sitting in my room on a typical Saturday night wearing my beloved eels shorts and shirt after spending my evening cheering on the boys in blue and gold who I've grown to honestly love. Yes, despite the horrible score lines that I often have to encounter. While I type this, I really do ask myself "What would my potential readers want to know about me?" Since my only hope of getting people to read my blog is twitter, I assume that most the readers will already know a lot. But still, I guess I'll whip up a little something or rather to keep you entertained and that little bit more informed about who I am and what makes me tick.

Biographically, my name is Victoria Christine Garry. But it's just Victoria okay? My whole life I've spent many hours trying to explain to people that I really am not fond of nick names. Vic I can easily handle. Vicky, I can not under any circumstance handle. Unless for some weird reason, one day I gave you permission to call me that. But if that was the case, feel special. Very special. Through my short 19 years of existence I have copped some very unique names, some of which are still unfortunately in play. I won't go on too long, but these include; Tori, Vickyioa, Garry, Gaz, Garbear, Pops, Homie, Vickytoria and it goes on and on. In short, call me Victoria (Vic if you absolutely must under every single circumstance in the world, call me a nick name) unless I grant you permission to call me otherwise.

Every single person that knows me even borderline well, knows I love football. My existence in Australia thrives on the National Rugby League. You could honestly say that the NRL runs my life. Considering the fact that every single time I'm invited to do something on a weekend my immediate reaction is to check whether the Eels are playing. And if they do happen to be playing, I make sure I find a way to go/watch the game and still attend the event I was invited to. It's actually quite a gift. NRL has become a huge part of my life. I've made some amazing, life changing friendships all thanks to the beautiful sport so I really kinda owe it a lot. As well as these amazing friendships and some pretty amazing memories, I have a bond with my father that really means a lot to me through football. We may not be able to go to games as much as we'd both love, but when we do get to even just sit town in the sitting room with a packet of chips or whatever to watch the games, it's amazing. It's something I share with my dad that my sister and mum don't have and in no way am I trying to be selfish or rude by saying that, it's just honestly nice to have that. Now with this, my dad and I share the exact same emotions as each other with following the "mighty" blue and gold. Okay, take away my huge attraction to some of the players actually. We shake our heads in disbelief together, we throw our hands up in anger together and we jump up and down cheering together. We both share the same mentality that no matter what score line or how many dropped balls or how many injuries suffered we'll stay strong to the blue and gold and continue to pull on our jerseys every week and when possible sit among the fellow die heart fans at the beautiful Parramatta Stadium to cheer on our boys.

When I'm not at a stadium throughout Australia in support of my team, I'm most likely at my university trying to fulfill my lifetime dream of becoming an actress. Okay you done laughing? I know, I know.  It sounds ridiculous. I actually want to become an actress, so unrealistic right? Unrealistic, yes. Impossible, no. My whole life I've been brought up with the idea that you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to and by enrolling in that university, memorising those two monologues for my audition and actually being accepted into the institute that's exactly what I'm doing. And to be honest, I couldn't be happier. And who knows, maybe just maybe, one day you'll see me up on the big screen.

So now...I'm sitting here scratching my head and I just realised that my life honestly revolves around football and acting and now I'm a little embarrassed that I really do not have much more to say. So in all of my glory, I guess I'll sum it up now. I decided to make this blog as a way of expressing myself. I like to tell stories and I like to share my opinion and I think this is a way for me to do that. Who knows how many readers I'll get, or if I'll even continue to write anything else past this opening post but regardless, I've made this decision so we'll see what the future holds. I tend to make spontaneous decisions like making a blog or a youtube channel and all that crazy stuff so this probably isn't unfamiliar for a lot of you. Anyway, I hope you do read and if you like it, let me know cause that will influence my frequency in updates.

Happy reading! Stay well, and go Parra.
- Victoria