Married At First Sight’s Al Perkins trades reality TV for the footy field with mixed results

He’s the Bondi based chippie who made his name doing shoeys on Married At First Sight, followed by a stint on Love Island Australia.

Now Al Perkins is making waves as a central or full back for Bondi United.

It’s no secret that rugby is a grueling sport, but it gets extra challenging when your nickname is ‘Hollywood’.

Add to that a target on your back by enemy teams that want nothing more than to bring you down.

“I get a lot of flak. They love ruffling my feathers,” Perkins said The Sunday Telegraph this week.

Now Al Perkins (pictured) is making waves as a central or full back for Bondi United

He talked about a recent game where the taunts took on a physical form.

“A few weeks ago, they hit me hard, smeared my face in the dirt, and then crowed, ‘broken at face value.'”

But Perkins remains unfazed by these events and considers them an essential part of the game.

With an Instagram following of more than 300,000, Perkins sees the football field as a haven from the chaos of television and social media.

“I get a lot of flak. They love ruffling my feathers,” Perkins told The Sunday Telegraph

“Football is a kind of therapy for me,” he said, “an escape from everything else in life.”

The feeling seems to be true as Perkins enters the field where status and celebrity fade into the background.

“On the field you are one of the others and everyone is on an equal footing. Training and playing keeps your mind distracted from everything else.

“The focus is on winning and having fun. It’s about being part of a team and the camaraderie it provides,” said Perkins.

Al recently made headlines as he fought Love Island star Josh Packham in a celebrity boxing match.

“Football is a kind of therapy for me,” he said, “an escape from everything else in life”