When Attica Rhinos rugby league team captain Johny Nake entered the field against RC Tirana in Albania last weekend he could have been excused for having mixed emotions.
As the leader of his team he wanted to ensure they played well and secured victory but there was an extra sense of excitement and pride attached to this particular match.
The Athens-based Rhinos were creating history as the first Greek team to play a match in the Balkan Super League – an elite club competition for the Balkan countries – and to top it off it was happening in the country of his birth.
The tenacious halfback was born in the Albanian town of Korca close to the Greek border. Nake moved to Athens with his family in the early 1990s at the age of six.
After discovering the game of rugby league in 2013 at the age of 23 in Athens, Johny has never looked back, representing the national team of his adopted country on numerous occasions.
“It never crossed my mind that I would one day be playing a game back in Albania when I first started playing rugby league in Athens.
“They (Albania) have done a great job establishing rugby league here in such a short space of time and making the game grow even more in the Balkans.
“I have been fascinated and excited by the idea of playing rugby league in my birth country leading in to this match. It was an extra motivator to be honest. It has been a special event in life for me.”
The Attica Rhinos endured a 12-hour bus journey from Athens to the Albanian capital the day before the match, a fact of life for rugby league players in Greece where the game is in relative infancy having commenced in 2012.
Rhinos head coach Steph Siozos doesn’t believe the arduous trip had a negative effect on the players performance on the field.
“I don’t believe the ride there impacted on our game. I think they could literally have walked there and still put in a big performance such was their eagerness to compete.
“It was an honour to take part in this fantastic concept and even more so given we are the first team from the national Greek competition to do so. I’m quite elated myself but more so for the players who got to show their worth on a multinational stage. The travelling brings them closer as a playing group so it’s great.”
The result after a hard fought contest was a narrow victory to the Attica Rhinos by 24-20 before a large vocal crowd. The interest in the game was boosted by the extensive Albanian media coverage during the week.
It was a momentous occasion for Albania and the Tirana team having only commenced playing competitive rugby league in April this year.
Greek Rugby League Association president George Stilianos travelled to Albania with the team and described it as “an unreal experience, an amazing atmosphere at the game and top notch hospitality from the hosts. You couldn’t ask for more,” Stilianos said.
Nake left the field a happy man, content in the knowledge that he had achieved what he set out to do.
“For me playing rugby league in my home country was unbelievably awesome. The crowd was amazing, the hospitality was amazing, everything was truly amazing but there were no mixed feelings about me being Albanian and playing against an Albanian team.
“My job was clear, we had to win this game and I did everything I could to achieve that aim because I’m a Rhino,” explained Nake.
Speaking to Steph Siozos at the conclusion of the match, it was obvious that he was both relieved to get the victory and elated by his team’s performance in the face of adversity.
“Each and every player out there put on a mammoth effort as we were short some players from the outset. We only had one substitute and one player was injured early so they showed tremendous resolve to overcome some huge obstacles.
“Johny was instrumental in today’s win. If he had grown up in Australia I’m sure he’d be NRL material. I hold this little bloke in the highest regard. Both on and off the field. He’s just got it.”
The Balkan Super League (BSL) is in its second year of existence with 15 club sides from seven countries across south eastern Europe battling for the title.
Two other Greek teams will commence their campaigns in the BSL shortly. Last year’s Greek domestic competition champions Rhodes Knights face Serbian super club Red Star in Belgrade on 15 May. The Aris Eagles (Athens) are set to take on reigning BSL champions Partizan in the Serbian capital a few days later on 19 May.