Here's a few pics from my first game of rugby league in over 5 years, 12 weeks after my right hip was operated on.
We beat the most successful team in the competition by 1 point, 29-28. I was lucky enough to kick the winning field goal in the final minute, and setup 3 or 4 of my teams tries.
It was actually Mother's Day, 2010. Mum flew down to Melbourne for the weekend, we had a big family dinner that night, about 25 of us got together.
4 of my cousins had played Australian Rules Football that weekend, I'm the odd one out within our family, playing Rugby League.
After the game everyone from my team was really happy, apparently we were supposed to get flogged. Mum said it was the best Mother's Day she's ever had.
I'm number 7 in the sky blue jumper, halfback. I was supposed to be number 9 but the 7 pulled out at the last minute.
My right hip felt good, but my right foot was pretty sore, if Mum hadn't been coming down I wouldn't have played.
At my first team training session the day before I couldn't run freely, at the time I thought it was a sign that I needed to get the left hip operated on too, which happened in November 2010, about 9 months after the right hip operation.
We'd just scored a try in this pic below (touch down) and was walking back to get setup for the kickoff, my auntie Carmel took these photos.
My team-mate in this photo, Wayne, he had a cracker of a game, I doubt we would have won if he didn't play.
We scored a try off this next play, it looks like I'm going right, but I actually go left, caught the number 9 from the other team on the back foot.
This is a photo from 2001 when I had my year in Sydney, playing in the lower grades of Wests Tigers. Mum and Dad drove down for the weekend, it was the only game they saw me play.
One missing for stage 2 of playing rugby league.
If Cindy Worrell from Massachusetts in America didn't give me Teresa McGee's email address from By Referral Only in 2003, I'm not sure where I'd be right now, I'm pretty happy she did, opened up a whole new world for me.
I keep some important photos in this envelope in my bedside table.
It's after midnight, March 5, 2011, in about half an hour it will be exactly 9 years to the minute my life changed forever.
God bless,
Marc Jarman.
