NRL

Shark Park, Cronulla (The Shire)

In other sports news, I also went to my first NRL game. The Cronulla Sharks were hosting the Dragons, in an important match at Shark Park. Shark Park is located in the Shire which, besides the obvious Lord of the Rings reference, is a pretty nice place. Before the match, we stopped at Paul’s Burgers, home to the best burger in Australia. As I deem myself worthy to rate such a burger, I would have to agree, so far… However, Umami Burger still reigns supreme (Los Angeles, CA).

Rugby League is a unique sport as well. As it seems to be with all Australian sports, no pads are required. You get six downs, or tackles as they’re called, to get the ball to the other side for a Try (Score).Of course, being a variation of rugby, there is no forward passing. I watched some great plays by the Sharks as they blew out the Dragon 12 to nil, which now makes the Sharks 4^th in the League. One thing I have noticed, and been agreed with by locals, is that the scrum in NRL is completely pointless. Many, including myself, wonder why it has not been taken out of the rules.

After a wonderful victory, I got to watch all the Dragon fans walk the gauntlet of hardcore Sharks supporters. As we all sang Cronulla’s song, the Dragon fans got pelted with trash and covered in beer. Sounds like most sporting events around the world. However, despite being a home game for Cronulla, the announcers are very keen on supporting both teams, including giving the away team a chance to cheer. I guess it’s a nice gesture or something, but doesn’t it kind of ruin the home field advantage?