Five degrees. So cold, but so much better than zero or anything in the minus. The weather has been a big difference so far to my new life in England. It was 20 degrees when I left Malta three weeks ago!

Everybody has been outstanding up here. The coaching staff, the office staff, the players and the supporters too. Chris Parker, who many of the Maltese know, has been a great help from day one. Could not ask for a better place to stay! The Schooner Inn is simply amazing. Great hospitality, great people and good food!

I played my first game for the Thunder two weeks ago against Hull KR. It was more of a training session rather then a competitive game. I did not feel very comfortable since I only had two training sessions with the Thunder before this game so I hardly knew what was going on.

I felt terrible after the game and I felt like packing up and going back home, but thanks to the positivity I received from Malta and from the rugby family I got some courage back and started all over again. In the next sessions, players took me for some extra sessions before the team sessions to help me out and provided me with everything I needed at that moment; courage and confidence.

Castleford Tigers were the next team to play and we played them last Sunday. Castleford are a club in the Engage Super League. The match was an experience from the beginning. This team consists of players that have played at the highest level for many years, from Super League to the NRL and Australia’s State of Origin. I played for approximately 20 minutes and I felt much more comfortable then the Hull KR game since I knew what was going on and most of all I knew my team better. I was really pleased to wear my first ever playing shirt with my squad number which is 7 followed by my surname ATTARD in big letters on the back.

The first few weeks have been tough, I won’t lie.

I miss the opportunity to play in the Malta Rugby League Championship. The South won the last match, but I wasn’t there to be a part of it. And I miss all the boys from Kavallieri RFC but I’m keeping in touch on the emails. This is however, all part of following the dreams I set out to achieve. And the support I have received from everybody back in Malta, I cannot ask for anymore.

The Malta Rugby League (MRL) is looking to stage a tour to Newcastle to watch me play for the Gateshead Thunder in a couple of months. I love the idea and am looking forward to seeing some good friends come across for the English experience. We can organise a game against a local team if there is enough people coming across from Malta.

Newcastle is an amazing city. It is comparable to the size of Malta, so you can imagine. By day, a metropolis and by the time the sun sets, it is a city packed with nightlife.

But, I am staying clear of that. I have my goals and I know they will not be easy to achieve. I won’t get there without putting my head down and getting stuck into the work that is in front of me.

I have been living at the Schooner Inn. They are a sponsor of the Thunder and they are also sponsoring me as a player. The Schooner Inn is only few metres walk from the stadium. They feed me well. Actually, they feed me very well. It’s like I was still at home in Malta in that regard. Lets put it this way, they’ve hosted a couple of the Fijian players (Tabua Cakacaka etc) that have been at the Thunder the last few seasons and if you ever see the size of the Fijians, you will understand that feeding me wont be as hard a task.

Some have asked if there’s any Maltese up here apart from myself. Well, I haven’t met any yet, but almost everyone I meet is saying that they have been to Malta on holidays. They say that Malta is a wonderful country full of sun, nice weather and amazing people. They also tell me that I must be out of my mind to leave Malta. Some people I’ve met are also planning to come over to Malta for good when they retire and this is proof of the beauty of our country.

To the training, and it is at a level that is all new to me. We have access at any time to the gym. The gym is within the training complex that is within the stadium. The facilities up here are world class. I mainly buddy up with Chris Parker for my weights sessions but every other player is present at the gym for his weights session.

This weekend is the Northern Rail cup kickoff which I happened to have a picture holding the cup last week when we were giving flyers at the metro station. I will try and find the picture so the Malta Rugby League (MRL) can put it on the website.

I will keep writing these diary entries, so keep a look out on www.malteserugbyleague.com for more.

Ciao,

Roderick!

Note: Roderick Attard's personal diary entries will be a regular feature on Malteserugbyleague.com. If you have any questions to ask Roderick, send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Roderick will try to answer them in his next diary entry.