NRL 9’s - The Best Christmas Present Ever!!!

Day One
The NRL 9’s tournament started on Saturday, and it was a hot hot day.  My Mum and I caught the train from Glen Innes to the Britomart, then from there to Kingsland.  Off the train and across the road to Eden Park, it was packed.  Before we even made it in we got a free tattoo, they were cool. 

Then a guy pulled us aside to take a picture of us, I was Mario and Mum was a Maori Mexican. 

Off into the park we go, people dressed up everywhere.  I see my long lost brother Luigi.  Then another Mario shouts out to me ‘Heya, a little Mario’, there were quite a few of us there.  So we set off to find our seats, Bay 322 seats B28 and B27.  They were right at the front, man I can’t believe the seats, we were right next to the players.  The National Anthems are beginning, the Australian one first, the microphone kept cutting out.  Then the New Zealand one, everyone was standing for that one.  After that there were some boring speeches, Len Brown was one and he got booed! Then the games were ready to begin. 

First game up was Sharks vs Knights, Sharks beat them.  The rules are different to normal league.  4 points for a try, 5 points in you score in the gold box between the posts.  Conversions are drop kicks and you get 2 points for those.  They were hard to get because some of the trys were way out by the sidelines.  No problems to Shaun Johnson though, he had a mean first day in the tournament.

None of the players really spoke to anyone on the sides, a bit sad really, I wanted to shake some hands.  Bonus though, my Mum brought me a NRL 9’s ball.

        Daly Cherry Evans                             Konrad Hurrell                                Issac Luke