Twenty years ago, Tihema Baker hung up his boots for the last time. Or so he thought.
At forty nine years of age, with a wife and five daughters, the idea of playing Rugby League again was never a serious thought in this local Rockdale residents mind. Spending years watching his daughters play the female dominated sport of netball or coaching their oztag teams, Baker was excited when asked to play in the Masters of Rugby League competition by a friend.
A friend asked me if i’d like to play Masters and i thought ‘well i’ve got myself back into a bit of physical fitness, a chance to play footy again? Why the hell not!’
So as of 2008, Baker is lacing up his boots once more. While the Masters Rugby League Competition is not exactly like Rugby League (there is more information in my previous post), it has allowed Baker to be part of a league team once more.
It’s good to be back in a footy team with the mates i socialise with. We get out there, have some fun on the field and then have a drink together after the game.
Yet it’s not always full of laughs. As a man with a love for the game the fun can sometimes be put aside with the luring temptation of victory returning.
Occassionally the competitive jucies come back. Then you realise you’re 49, not 20. Some people take it very seriously, but at the end of the day it’s about getting back out there, using your skills and having some fun.
While Masters is not as physically and mentally tough as actual Rugby League and it is only played once a month, the bumps and bruises still take their toll and the unlimited interchange comes in handy.
You’re not as hard as you were when you were young. You get a knock and it’s not as easy to bounce back up and play the ball or make another tackle. It’s a different kind of challenge.
Playing football again has reignited the camaraderie of a team between Baker and his friends, it has also given him the chance to show his children that he practices what he preaches. As he regularly coaches their Oztag (a variation of Rugby League) teams, he is able to show his children the skills he possesses.
It’s nice that the kids get to watch me play, i never thought they’d all get a chance to see me play footy.
When the game is over, it’s back to his normal family and working life. That is the beauty of the game. A taste of the old, the ability to show his kids and still be able to work on Monday. As Baker happily states:
It gives you a chance to get that feeling of footy back into you.
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