Goal setting – by Clive

Since my stroke in 2015 I have worked hard to get back to doing the things that I love.

As a long-time supporter of the Melbourne Storm and the Queensland Maroons (Rugby), one of my passions is to watch games live. When my stroke happened in 2015, the pleasure I got watching Rugby had not lessened, but my ability to face crowds had.

The thought of watching any sport live filled me with anxiety. I walk slowly, and still struggle to use my left arm. I had issues with my speech and found it hard to manage my emotions.

Goal setting has been a vital part of my recovery, and getting back to watching sport live, was paramount for me. It gave me something to look forward to and helped motivate me to work on my anxiety and mobility issues.

I started with a small goal to attend local games with friends. It is hard for blokes to ask for help. I have learned to – I had to, or else everything was going to be ten times harder.

Last year I had built up to mid-level crowds, so I set a goal to go to the Commonwealth Games. Ten thousand people rushing around to see events, it was a challenge, but I met it with the help of mates - I loved it.

Next was a Melbourne Storm game with 20,000 people, which capped off my year.

Attending these events prepared me to set my sights on going to the State of Origin Finals in Queensland this year. The crowds are around 50,000, five times that of the Commonwealth Games. It took a lot of planning. I flew up from Melbourne with a friend, we planned on getting to the arena early and leaving once the crowds had left.

With Rugby fans descending on Brisbane, there were few opportunities to stay away from crowds. There were people everywhere, a great vibe, but a bit too much for me. I found that people generally weren’t in the ‘zone’ to give the time and space for someone who has trouble walking. I was pushed around like a pinball – bumped from all sides.

I was anxious getting to the arena, but once there the pre-game action was so good – I forgot to be afraid!

The game was awesome and the Maroons won, icing on the cake for me!

After the match it was time to go. We waited for 15 minutes, but the crowd wasn’t dispersing. I just had to go with it. Walking to get transport with 25,000 other people was not an option, so we walked. Talk about stepping up to meet a challenge.

It started to rain as we walked, we got soaked, but the rain on my face served as a reminder of how far I had come.

I have already booked my tickets for next year!