Ask yourself this: Would you ever travel halfway across the world and attempt to play a contact sport that you have never heard of?
Meet Tomas Von Rudno Restrero, a 16-year-old student from Stade in North Germany who is currently in Melbourne, Australia as an exchange student.
While in Australia, Tomas decided to play AFL, a sport he had never heard of or seen in his life before moving to Australia.
Nevertheless he gave it a go and played the 2015 season in Under-16 Red with the Mill Park Junior Football Club and had a fantastic once in a lifetime experience.
Tomas sat down with his teammate and NFL junior reporter Nicholas Sacco to discuss his experience and share his adventure.
Nicholas Sacco: What attracted you to play AFL?
Tomas Von Rudno Restrero: What motivated me to start playing footy was the fact that I wanted to play Australia’s national sport. Before I started playing I didn’t really know any rules or anything about the game as AFL had hardly any exposure in Germany. So I thought it would be a great challenge and a great experience to play a sport I had never heard about. I saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to try a foreign sport. Also I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to meet new people and make friends.
NS: You ended up choosing to play for the Mill Park Football Club. Why did MPFC stand out for you?
TVRR: I ultimately made the decision to join the Mill Park Football Club because of its location. No one from my host family had any affiliation with the club. It was the closest to my home so I thought it would be easier for my host family to take me to games. But after this season, I don’t regret joining Mill Park, I think that it’s an awesome club to play for.
NS: Did the fact that AFL is a contact sport with tackling scare you at all?
TVRR: In the beginning it did scare me. In Germany, the national sport is soccer and we were exposed to it a lot. You can’t touch the ball or each other so I had never experienced a sport with contact, let alone tacking. I knew it was going to be a challenge and I was nervous heading into the first game, but I lost the fear during the season and I got much better at tackling someone as I got more experience!
NS: What were your expectations heading into the new season?
TVRR: Well, I wasn’t expecting a lot of myself. My main aim was to make some friends and have a great experience learning the sport. I guess I didn’t have any time to make any expectations, because my first week of training was the first week of the season and I was focused on doing well for the first game.
NS: How was your relationship with your teammates? Did you make lots of friends?
TVRR: My relationship with the team was amazing right from the start. I felt like everyone was always there for me and that they were always supporting me. The whole team helped me and taught me throughout the whole season even though I made some stupid mistakes along the way! I will be forever grateful for everything my teammates taught me and grateful for all the friendships I have made this season!
NS: Have you chosen an AFL team to support?
TVRR: I support North Melbourne. Mainly because it has the same colours as Mill Park! But also because many people had asked me throughout the year so I just chose the first one that came into my head!
NS: Would you recommend AFL to all your friends back in Germany?
TVRR: Definitely! AFL is always going be a part of me. I am definitely going to tell my friends about it as soon as I get back and attempt to explain to them the rules and differences between soccer and AFL although no one in Germany knows what AFL is.
NS: What was your highlight of the season?
TVRR: That’s actually a really difficult question. I would have to say that it was the feeling and the atmosphere from the whole team. The feeling of teammates protecting each other and doing everything they can do to win their team the game is breathtaking and something that I will probably not experience in Germany. I had never been in such a team before and I am blessed to have this opportunity!
