When a football club becomes like a second home, you know you support the right team.

I’m writing this just as I came back from having lunch with Steve Johnson in the GIANTS cafe, going through his old war stories and chatting about interesting opponents.

I had to pinch myself.

I’m here at the GIANTS doing work experience for the week and love every second.

Growing up supporting Australian Rules football in Western Sydney was difficult to say the least. I only had one choice of team, the now rival Sydney Swans.

Knowing anyone else that loved the game was a blessing, with most people I knew not knowing what AFL stood for.

But when it was first announced that I would have an AFL team in my own backyard, I knew from that moment on it would be the team for me.

The first few years were tough with wins few and far between. But despite the ecstasy of winning not being there, you always felt like you were right there with the players during those up’s and down’s.

Every match, my family and I sat in the same four seats. They were like our own.

Having only missed two home games in the first 3 years of the GIANTS existence, I knew I wanted to be a part of this club even further.

During a post-match function at Tom Wills Oval, I struck up a conversation with player James Stewart and the possibility of a work experience placement was discussed.

This was the perfect opportunity to take my involvement with the club to another level. So at the next open training session, I approached CEO Dave Matthews about the possibility of helping out at the club.

Words were spoken, paperwork was filled out and I was off to the GIANTS to be an employee for three days.

I started off in the Fan Development team, processing payments and working the phones. I was just waiting for my opportunity to work with the players.

That came the very next day.

I was put out onto the training track running water for the boys. It was a behind the scenes look I had never seen before.

From there I helped in the physiotherapists room, spent time with the media team and received an insight into sports administration doing basically any task that needed to be done.

No matter what I was told to do, I loved it.

Being around the players was an unbelievable experience. The boys adopted me as a teammate.

Again, I had to pinch myself.

Whether it was Shane Mumford giving me advice on girls, Heath Shaw jokingly asking me to wash his car or eating my mum’s famous lamb wrap alongside new recruit Steve Johnson. I felt like I belonged.

Some people are lucky enough to meet their childhood heroes. I went one better, I worked with them.