My first rugby league game

I saw my first rugby league game last week--the Cronulla Sharks v. the Wests Tigers. Of course, I didn't have a clue what was going on, but it was interesting to see first-hand how crazy Aussies get over sports. Or as they say it, sport. The players were pretty easy on the eyes too....

Jenny, Andrea and I took the train from Wollongong to Cronulla, a southern suburb of Sydney. We met our Aussie friend, Amy, who organized the day and is a die-hard Sharks fan.

The stadium is set up differently than the typical American sports stadium. They had relatively little stadium seating--probably less than 10,000 seats. Most of the people hung out and just drank beer on the grass surrounding the field, which can be problematic if you actually plan to watch the game because it's hard to see the action when you're level with the field and blocked by drunk, linebacker-sized Aussie men.

Unfortunately for Amy, the Sharks couldn't recover after the Tigers made a couple big, last-minute plays. But I didn't really care. I've already pledged my loyalty to the New South Wales Waratahs. They're not even in Rugby League (they're in Rugby Union, and yes, there's a difference...it's so confusing), so they don't compete with the Sharks. I honestly don't know a thing about the Waratahs' players or schedule, but they have a cool name and even better merchandise. That's how I choose a team.

Photos: The top one is action from the game. The Sharks are in the light blue. The bottom one is of Jenny, Amy's friend Jess, Andrea and Amy.