Making the Team

by Scott Prince

  “Yeah, so what?” I’m not angry yet. Not even close.

  “Push your hand in a bit more. See if you can find the lucky dip.” The last time I had a lucky dip was when Nanna took me to the Mt Isa Show. Something tells me this won’t be the same. As my hands go deeper, the doona (or whatever it is) starts to get warmer. Finally, my fingers reach something soft and squishy.

  “I think I found the lucky dip!” I yell. “What is it?” Justice is cackling like a kookaburra. I tear off the blindfold and see my Cowboys doona at my feet. Justice has dropped it and started to run, crying with laughter. And that’s when it hits me. A horrible smell fills my nostrils. When I realise what it is, instinct tells me to check the bottom of my shoes, but they’re clean. It’s my hands and the Cowboys doona that are stinking and covered in brown sludge. A couple of blowflies start buzzing around my head and land on my face. I brush them off and accidentally wipe the stuff on to my nose. Justice is on the ground, almost wetting his pants. If he wasn’t laughing, you’d think he was having a fit.

  “Stop it man, you’re killing me! Bwahahahahaha!” he laughs.

  “What is this stuff?” I yell at him. “It smells like poo!” Justice is now rolling around in the dirt, trying hard to breathe between laughs.

  “That’s because it is, bro! I got Fluffy to leave you a present in your doona! Bwahahahahaha!”

  Justice’s words sink in. Not only is my favourite doona covered in doggy doo, so am I. I even have a bit of brown stuff hanging off my nose. My eyes start to see red and my hands begin to shake.

  Aaargh! Look out boys and girls, Deadly D is coming out to play!

  Chapter 25

  The Big Day

  The atmosphere is electric. Even though it’s only a trial game, lots of people have turned up to watch us play the Panthers. From the change room, I hear the announcer tell the crowd that it’s a sellout. I sit down in front of my locker and try to concentrate on the game ahead. Someone stands in front of me. It’s a television reporter. He’s sticking a microphone in my face. Next to him is a cameraman with a big video camera strapped to his shoulder. He’s filming me. Standing behind the reporter and cameraman is Justice. He’s furious.

  “No interviews I told you! Deadly D is off limits!” yells Justice. The reporter turns around to see a Kiwi kid with a scowl on his face.

  “And who are you?” laughs the reporter.

  Coach Griffin walks over.

  “I’ll tell you who he is,” says Coach Griffin, “He is welcome – you on the other hand, are not! Now take a hike and let Deadly focus.” The reporter apologises and takes the cameraman with him.

  Justice follows them out the door.

  “Hit the road you stinky old toads!” I hear him say as the door closes.

  Coach Griffin stands in the middle of the room. We sit in a circle around him. I nervously push my mouthguard in and out.

  “No stupid stuff today guys, just keep it simple and defend our line,” Coach Griffin instructs. “This may be a trial game, but we still want to beat those Panthers!”

  “Yeah!” yells the team.

  “We have twenty-five thousand Broncos fans in the stadium, let’s give ’em what they want!” he says.

  “Yeah!” yells the team.

  “And when Deadly D comes on, I want everyone running off him, playing support,” says Coach.

  “Yeah!” yells the team.

  “And when you finish today,” says a voice from the corner, “autograph your jerseys and leave them for me so I can sell them on eBay!”

  “GET OUT, JUSTICE!” yells the entire team. Shame!

  Chapter 26

  Kick Off

  The cheerleaders are waving their maroon and gold pompoms. The Broncos mascot Buck is giving high fives to the kids in the crowd. The referee blows his whistle and the Broncos kick off. Their fullback runs the ball up. He’s tackled by a wall of players. After only one minute on the clock, everyone has already worked up a sweat. I watch from the bench with the other reserves. I’m super nervous but I can’t wait to go on. Justice is in the stand behind me. Last week he offered to wash the Coach’s car in exchange for a ticket near the bench. It’s good to have my friend here.

  Seven minutes into the game, Scott Prince runs on to a Peter Wallace pass. He steps two players and throws a long pass to Corey Norman. No one can catch him. Norman runs down the sideline and scores out wide. The crowd goes wild!

  “Try to Corey Norman! Broncos lead four points to zero!” bellows the announcer over the microphone. Rock and roll music fills the stadium. All the players run in to congratulate him. Scott Prince gets ready to kick the conversion. The ball boy runs out and gives him the kicking tee. Mum will be getting suspicious. When the TV cameras zoom in on the reserve bench, I hang a towel over my head and bend down, pretending to tie my laces. Hopefully Mum won’t recognise me.

  The Panthers score two easy tries. Coach Griffin is furious. I can hear him on the trainer’s walkie-talkie. “Tell them to defend!” he’s saying. He says a few other words as well, but I don’t want to repeat them.

  At the half-time break, the Panthers are leading 10 points to 6. Come on Coach, put me on, I’m jumping out of my skin to get on the field!

  Chapter 27

  Time to Shine

  The second half kicks off. The Panthers have the ball and their fullback is tackled close to the sideline. Ben Hannant is looking tired out there. He hasn’t had a rest yet. The Panthers bring the ball towards the middle of the field. Ben Hannant makes the tackle but he stays on the ground. The Broncos trainers run out to see if he is OK. Already players are showing signs of exhaustion. They are drinking water like thirsty dingos at a billabong. Hannant takes a gulp of water and holds his legs. He doesn’t look so great. He must have cramps.

  From nowhere, the magic words crackle over the walkie-talkie. “Put Deadly D on.”

  I jump up and follow the trainer. I can hear Justice behind me in the stands.

  “Go get ’em bro! You can do it, Deadly!” He’s screaming his head off, jumping up and down, and waving his Broncos flag like a lunatic. It narrowly misses the people sitting behind him. I turn around and give him a wink, pretending to act calm but I’m scared and excited at the same time. Have I tied my pants up? Do my undies show through my shorts? What if I drop the ball? There’s thousands of fans at home watching – including Mum. As Ben Hannant leaves the field, I watch with my mouth hanging open. How can I replace Ben Hannant?

  “Replacing Ben Hannant for the Brisbane Broncos is their newest player, Deadly D!” the announcer calls out. No one has heard of me before, but they clap politely. The only person cheering is Justice. He’s still jumping up and down in the stands.

  “That’s my boy, Deadly! Yeah!” he shouts. He does a dance move and spins around like Michael Jackson.

  The trainer grabs my arm. “You’re in the front row today, Deadly. Go for it!” I run on to the field and take my position. On the last tackle the Panthers kick it downfield. Our fullback has the ball again and runs it back to where we are standing.

  “Deadly’s ball! Deadly’s ball!” yells Scott Prince. The dummy half passes it to me and I run as hard as I can. There are two players waiting for me. I crash into them and realise something is wrong. I’ve dropped the ball! Their halfback scoops it up and spreads it out wide to their fast men. Their winger scores a soft try in the corner. Shame.

  I feel like hiding. I’ve only been on the field for two minutes and I have given away a converted try. The score is 16 to 6. Panthers in front.

  “Don’t worry, Deadly,” says Prince. “Make up for it next time.”

  Chapter 28

  Welcome to First Grade

  The game is racing away before my eyes. I might be big and strong, but am I puffed! I can’t believe how fast they’re playing. The Panthers knock on after the kick off. We have the ball.

  “My run, my run!” I call for it, but the dummy half passes to Alex Glenn on the opposite side. He runs ten metres before
he’s tackled. The Panthers players don’t get off him. One of them is sitting on his head. “Get off the player!” screams the referee.

  Sam Thaiday looks towards him. “Please ref, he’s sitting on his face!” Thaiday says. The ref blows a whistle and gives us the penalty.

  “Penalty to Brisbane, the Panthers player’s bottom was in contact with the ball carrier’s head!” he shouts. The crowd cheers. Alex Glenn looks disgusted. He’s had someone’s butt in his face. Prince kicks for touch and we are twenty metres out from the Broncos line. I signal to Prince.

  “My ball,” I say.

  “You sure?”

  “Just give it to me,” I reply, pumped and standing deep, ready to run on to the ball. Prince takes the tap. I take my run up and watch the ball closely. I won’t drop it this time. Prince pops the ball up. I catch it and hold it tight. I’m moving fast. The Panthers players are approaching. I get ready for impact – five, four, three, two, one, SMASH! I run into three defenders. They bounce off me like bowling pins. One of the wingers tries to catch me but I push him away like a rag doll. He ends up eating grass and dirt. The fullback races over and launches his entire body. He bounces off me like a roo hitting the bullbar of a semitrailer. There is no one left to stop me. I run under the posts and score.

  The crowd goes insane! My team mates rush in and jump on top of me in celebration.

  “Yeah, brah!” smiles Prince.

  “Good hit up, D!” says Reed.

  “Welcome to first grade, D!” says Thaiday.

  The announcer comes over the speaker. “Try to the Broncos number seventeen, Deadly D!”

  The crowd erupts again as they see the replay on the big screen. Prince kicks the conversion and it’s now 16 points to 12. Panthers still in front.

  Chapter 29

  Three-Person Piggyback

  Five minutes to go. The Panthers captain is telling his team to keep us out of their half. They kick to us and the ball is coming in my direction. I catch it safely and run as fast as I can. This time four defenders are hanging off me. Someone tackles me around the legs and I go crashing to the ground. I play the ball and our forwards run it up hard. Prince kicks on the last tackle and the Panthers have it deep in their own half.

  Three minutes to go.

  The Panthers pass it this way, they pass it that way. They need a converted try to steal the game. Their forwards make some good ground and then their halfback does something amazing. He chip kicks over our heads and then catches it. He steps one Broncos player, and another. He dummies once, then dummies twice before passing it to his winger.

  The winger flies down the side of the ground. Reed is chasing him. The try-line is approaching. The winger dives to score. Reed lunges and drags his ankles into touch. Wait! No way! His arm is outstretched, reaching for the try-line. The Panthers player grounds the ball on the white line! But has he grounded the ball before going into touch? It’s way too hard to tell.

  The referee calls time off and says, “We’ll go to the video.”

  There is a nervous wait. We huddle together, talking about what we will do if it is a no-try. The whole crowd sits frozen. Justice’s eyes are open wide, watching for the result. A little spinner appears in the middle of the big screen … NO-TRY comes up in big red letters. The crowd is on the edge of their seats.

  One minute to go.

  The Broncos take the twenty-metre tap and advance the ball upfield. The first tackle is made. The ball is played and passed to Corey Parker who makes twelve easy metres. This time the ball is passed out wide. Our second rower throws a pass to our inside centre, who runs to halfway.

  “Third tackle!” screams the referee. My mouth is dry and the sweat is stinging my eyes.

  Justin Hodges moves to pass from dummy half but is tackled by a wall of Panthers players. The crowd is booing, the Panthers must be offside.

  As the ball is played, Josh McGuire signals, “You and me D, get ready.”

  McGuire gets the ball and I follow on his outside shoulder. What’ll it be, a tricky pass to me or will he dummy and run? Just as I expected, he holds the ball as he’s tackled.

  Twenty seconds to go. We’re inside the Panthers half.

  “Fourth tackle!” yells the referee. The ball is passed to Prince. The Panthers are closing in on him. It’s too late to kick. With a quick look around, I see I’m the only player he can pass to.

  “It all yours brah, don’t waste it,” he says. I sprint towards the corner of the field. My legs are like pistons, pumping up and down. The more space I have, the faster they move.

  Ten seconds to go.

  I fend off one Panthers player, then another. The rest are chasing me. I am ten metres out. They can’t catch me, the crowd is out of their seats, when WHACK! I am hit from behind. I try to keep my balance. If I get tackled, the game is over and we lose. Whoever it is, they are hanging on tight. I am piggy-backing the Panthers centre, winger and halfback. They pull me to the left and they pull me to the right trying to drag me down.

  The full-time siren blares from the stadium speakers, and I’m three metres out.

  I struggle to keep upright and moving forward. My knees are trembling under the weight of the three Panthers players. One more step and I will score. I dive for the try-line. My body crashes to the ground. With my arm outstretched, I ground the ball on the white paint of the try-line five metres from the sideline.

  The ref blows his whistle. The crowd goes ape! I have scored! Team mates rush in and jump on top of me.

  But the game isn’t finished yet.

  The score is now sixteen-all. The crowd are on the edge of their seats as they watch Prince line up his goal kick. He needs to kick it to win the game. If he misses it we go into golden-point extra time. But by the look of the Broncos players, they’ve had enough.

  The conversion isn’t an easy one. He must be deadly accurate. Prince looks towards the sky and then back to the goal posts. The crowd goes silent, except for the Panthers supporters. They do everything they can to distract him. He places the ball on the kicking tee and lines it up. I watch him walk in towards the ball as he gracefully strikes it in the direction of the posts. Both teams watch it as it spirals through the air. The people down the other end of the stadium stretch their necks to see if the ball is on target. It goes straight through the uprights! The touch judges raise their flags. Broncos win eighteen points to sixteen!

  The stadium erupts! Kids are waving their flags and strangers are hugging each other in the stands. It’s only a trial match, but the crowd knows they’ve seen an amazing game of football tonight. They’re excited about the upcoming season, and so am I.

  Chapter 30

  Breakfast

  Mum is at the table eating breakfast and reading the newspaper. Mongrel the cat is hungry and annoying her as usual. She’s looking at the photos of the game, trying to spot me being a ball boy. My body is sore from last night’s game, but I can’t let Mum know I’m hurting.

  “You got home late last night,” says Mum, looking up from the paper.

  “Yeah,” I say. “The club wanted us to stay back and pump up the balls.” I hate fibbing to Mum, but I haven’t worked out how to tell her the truth.

  “Are you and Justice the world’s best ball boys yet?” she smiles, taking a bite of her toast. I grab the nearest box of cereal and pour it in a bowl.

  “No, but I got a bit of time on the field. I think they want us for the next game as well,” I say, pouring some milk.

  “Good for you, son!” Mum smiles. She finishes reading the paper and gets up to tidy the kitchen. I reach for the sports pages. I’m glad she hasn’t read these. One of the headlines says, “Who Is Deadly D?” There’s a picture of me that nearly fills the entire back page! In the photo, I am crashing into some Panthers players. The article says kids everywhere are calling Deadly D a hero. It also says that in some country towns, after the game, kids ran outside and started playing footy. They all wanted to be just like Deadly D! Maybe Justice is right. Ma
ybe the curse is a gift. It looks like coming to Brisbane wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  I grip my spoon and dig it into my cereal. I’m starving. Playing in the NRL gives you an appetite. As I put the spoon to my mouth, I see Mum at the sink, giving me a weird look.

  “What?”

  “You gonna eat that?” she asks.

  “Yeah, why?” I say.

  “Those cornflakes you’re about to eat …” she says. “What about them?”

  “They aren’t cornflakes, they’re cat food,” she laughs.

  Chapter 31

  An Interesting Conversation

  It’s lunchtime. Mr Woolly’s window is above the handball courts. The noise from his office hits the brick wall opposite his window and travels downwards. Sometimes you can hear him telling his wife how much he loves her. Well, I think it’s his wife. It’s the kind of stuff you don’t want to hear, but you can’t help it. The only way to ignore it is to keep playing handball.

  The other day Mr Woolly had a conversation that was worth stopping handball for. Justice, some other boys and I stood motionless, ears pointed towards his window. This is how it went:

  Mr Woolly: I’m glad you could make it, Mr Knutz.

  Mr Knutz: This better be good Woolly, I’ve got five cars to fit tyres on. And you’re chewin’ into my smoko time.

  Mr Woolly: About two weeks ago, Jared went on a school excursion to the Brisbane Broncos training day.

  Mr Knutz: I know. He nicked a ball from there. It’s sitting next to our pool table, ha ha ha ha.

  Mr Woolly: It’s more serious than that. Jared was involved in a very serious incident of bullying. I’m afraid the police may have to be involved.

  Mr Knutz: What’s that boy done now?

  Mr Woolly: He has intentionally tripped a grade-six boy down the steps of the grandstand.

  Mr Knutz: Bulldust. Jared wouldn’t do that! Where’s your proof, Woolly?

  Mr Woolly: Right here, Mr Knutz. The Broncos have sent me a video of their security footage. Mr Knutz, the video does not lie. You will clearly see Jared sticking his foot out and tripping the other boy. Next, you can see the poor boy somersaulting down the steps. Next you can see the same boy running away with blood on his face.