![Tolland integral to Zahra finding a sense of home in Wagga Tolland integral to Zahra finding a sense of home in Wagga](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/187052684/355c0188-3336-4d5b-967c-61be0221db20.jpg/r0_288_5114_3165_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's not unusual to hear at all levels speaking about their sport, their club, as their home.
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Moving across the state can be a daunting task, and for those who have grown up in a club community, it's often the first thing they look for in a new place.
When 20-year-old Charlton Zahra moved to Wagga last year, one of the first things he did was put his name down on a Tolland sign up sheet.
The Charles Sturt University veterinary science student was in a new town, fresh from Sydney, he said the club has made Wagga feel like home.
"I'm originally for Sydney and I moved to Wagga for uni, during one of the open days at uni Tolland had a stall up, and I put my name down, they called me and asked me if I wanted to play, and from then on I've been at Tolland," Zahra said.
"They've been very very welcoming, I cannot think of anything the could have done which would have been more welcoming to be honest, it's a great club.
"From the get go, at the start of last year, the club welcomed me in with open arms, they really tried to make it personable and didn't see you just as a number.
"Coming from Sydney, where I played in Sydney, you're more of a number and you're less important personally, the club really made you feel special.
"Soccer has put balance in everything, it's always been important for me though, I've always played, so it's always something I fall back on and Tolland have been great.
"I started playing when I was a little kid and just since then I've always loved it, my brother and my sister all play relatively highly in Sydney, and my whole family just crave it."
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Stepping right into the first grade side, Zahra said it's been a fantastic experience watching the side climbing the ladder this season after a rough 2022.
Moving into a new position for the team, he said it's been nice to have a run on the right wing after spending most of his junior career as a midfielder.
Careful not to let his first grade position slip, with a wealth of new faces entering the team this season he said he's been pushed to keep improving his game.
"It's been a great year, this year we brought in heaps of good new players and I think that's probably the biggest difference," he said.
"We've come in with this mentality that we can make it to the finals and we can do it.
"I think it's just a bit of a change in mentality, we've taken it all a little bit more seriously this year, last year was more of a kick around but this year, we've got better personnel so everyone's more focused on what we want to get."
Excited to be heading into the grand final, Zahra did admit he has enjoyed being back in a winning squad this season after the team won just four games last year.
Defeating Lake Albert 4-3 in Temora last Sunday to book their grand final spot, Zahra said words couldn't explain the feeling of making his first senior grand final.
"It was euphoric," he said.
"It felt amazing, honestly I don't think I've ever experienced such a great win, works can't explain how good it felt."
Making the win feel even sweeter was knowing his parents and grandfather were all at the game.
Planning to make the trek back to Wagga once again for the grand final, Zahra said having his family attending makes him even hungrier to win.
"They would not miss it," he said.
"I don't see them that often, so it's nice to have them down just for the sake of it, but they also give you a bit of extra motivation.
"I didn't really get that nervous for the most recent game, I just felt very focused with them there."
Tolland play Hanwood in the 2023 Pascoe Cup grand final at Equex Centre on Sunday evening.
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