by Felice Arena
Puffin Books
By the bestselling authors of Specky Magee.
www.speckymagee.com
Puffin Books
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published by Penguin Books Australia, 2003
Text copyright © Red Wolf Entertainment Pty Ltd and Gamel Sports Media Pty Ltd, 2003
The moral right of the authors has been asserted
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
www.puffin.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74-228495-8
Puffin Books
As Eddie McGuire would say, ‘What a big year it was in football.’ Come to think of it, Eddie reminds me very much of Teddy McMahon, the host of a top-rating football show who appears in both the original Specky Magee story, as well as bobbing up in this one, Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest.
I’ve got to say, I’ve faced some big challenges in my time, but educating my old school-mate and co-author, Felice, in the finer points of Australian Rules football has been right up there with the toughest of them all. But you don’t become one of the leading children’s authors in the country unless you are a very quick learner, and I’m pleased to say that I have now managed to get him to the stage where he could safely head off to the MCG and barrack and cheer in all the right places.
Felice is very loyal, though, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t convert him into a Melbourne Demons supporter. He continues to support the Geelong Cats, although I did have to point out to him that his favourite player, Billy Brownless, retired many years ago.
If he was honest, he would probably say that I had a similar appreciation of what it took to write a novel. But between the two of us, we are really pleased and excited with the way that Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest has turned out. We had a lot of fun writing it, and spent a lot of time thinking about our time as thirteen-year-olds, back in our home town of Kyabram. It’s a long time ago now, and I’m not sure if we had as much fun and adventure as Specky, Danny, Robbo and the rest of his mates have, but I reckon we wouldn’t have been far off.
Gotta go, I’m still trying to teach Felice how to kick a torpedo punt. I reckon by the time the third Specky Magee story is finished he might just have mastered it!
Enjoy
Garry
What’s Garry talking about? I know my footy! I grew up in a family of mad Collingwood and Essendon supporters and, as he said, I’m loyal Cats follower - so, what else is there to know?
On second thoughts, maybe there is a whole lot more to sport than just being a passionate fan, especially when you have to include detailed descriptions about it in a book. So, in that case, I have to agree with my old school-mate - while we were writing Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest, my knowledge of the finer points of footy was, perhaps, a little off. Luckily, I have an Australian coach, former champion of the game and general all round good guy as my co-author. But hang on - that’s not to say he’s perfect!
While Garry may be mustering up every coaching skill he has to teach me to kick a torpedo punt or to use the correct ‘footy lingo’, it has been an equally tough challenge for me to get him to stick to deadlines and not to use so many complicated words (next time you catch him on TV, watch for how he loves to over-use big words when he speaks). Come to think of it, he was like that at school.
Apart from that, I have to admit that he has often blown me away with his writing and editing skills, offering a whole lot more to the story than just ‘footyfying’ it. He loves reading mysteries, so we have him to thank for some of the heart-stopping twists and turns you’ll come across in this next Specky Magee adventure.
Yep, Garry is shaping up to be a great author. And I’m shaping up to be a gun footballer. Now, back to my torpedo practice.
I hope you’ll enjoy Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest as much as we enjoyed writing it.
Felice
1. changing times
‘Are you sure you’ve packed everything?’
‘Yeah, Dad,’ answered Specky, rushing out the door. ‘I’ll see you after the game.’
‘Good luck, champ!’ his father shouted after him.
Specky ran across the front lawn and jumped into Mr Roberts’s car. He and Josh Roberts, were off to play the first game of the season for their Under 14’s Aussie Rules football team – the Booyong High Lions. Josh was his best friend, everyone called him Robbo and he was an avid Sydney Swans supporter. Specky greeted him with a friendly punch in the shoulder.
He glanced back through the car window to see his dad standing at the doorway of their house, waving him off. He and his father had grown so much closer over the past ten months, Specky thought. His father had been there for him when it mattered, and made an effort to support him and learn to appreciate the game he so passionately loved. It was a dream come true for Specky. He revelled in finally having his dad there, watching him play weekend footy matches, alongside his team-mates’ parents.
To celebrate their new-found understanding, Specky’s father had surprised him with an announcement, earlier in the week.
‘Simon …’ Specky’s dad always called him by his real name, even though all his friends called him Specky because of his SPEC-tacular marking ability. ‘I’m afraid your mum and I won’t be able to see you play your first game, this Saturday,’ he had said. Specky had been a bit disappointed but he knew his dad had been very busy with work, lately; he was the owner of a very successful art gallery. And his mum couldn’t always make it, as she often gave Alice a ride to her netball games.
‘The reason has something to do with you – us, actually,’ said his dad. ‘I’m going on a business trip and I’d love you to come with me. It won’t be all business, I promise. In fact, most of it will be fun. We’re going for an entire week, and I’ve spoken to your teachers so they know you’ll be away from school. I’ll pick you up straight after your match. I’ve got to get some last-minute things done at work – make sure that everything is looked after while I’m away.’
‘No school? Unreal! Where are we going?’ Specky asked, excited.
‘You’ll find out,’ grinned his dad.
Specky hadn’t stopped smiling for days.
When Mr Roberts pulled up to their school oval, Specky and Robbo ran quickly to join their team-mates in the changing rooms. The entire team had been told to turn up an hour and a half before the game for an important pre-season talk. Specky and Robbo sat next to their friend, the team’s number one rover and a diehard Pies fan, Danny Castelino.
‘Hey, I heard a rumour,’
Danny said, in a loud whisper, leaning in towards them.
‘What?’ asked Specky and Robbo, in unison, as the rest of the team moved around the changing rooms finding places to sit.
‘I heard Coach Pappas isn’t gonna coach us this season.’
‘What?’ asked Specky, looking puzzled. ‘Are you sure? He’s been taking training for the past three weeks – he would have said something to us by now.’
Danny shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well …’ he continued, ‘the Bullet told me he overheard him talking on his mobile.’
Specky looked over at Sanjay Sharma, who was nicknamed the ‘Bombay Bullet’ because of his explosive sprinting ability during games, and because he was originally from India. He was sitting next to Paul Solomon, who was known as ‘Smashing Sols’ because he was the hardest hitting tackler in the team.
‘All right, listen up,’ Coach Pappas said, raising his voice.
‘The reason I’ve called you in early today is to let you know that this will be my last game as your coach.’
There were instant groans of disapproval and expressions of bewilderment from Specky’s team-mates. Danny shot a look at Specky and Robbo as if to say, ‘I told you so.’
‘Yes, I know it may seem a bit sudden, but I only made this decision a few days ago. I’ll be moving interstate to teach at another school …’
Another chorus of disappointed ‘arwwhs’ rippled through the changing rooms. Specky and the rest of the team really liked having Mr Pappas as their coach. He was tough but was always fair, and there was no one more passionate about Aussie Rules than he was.
‘So, I want to wish you all the very best. And I thought this would be a good time to introduce you all to your coach and new PE teacher.’
By the time Specky had a chance to turn to his friends and ask, ‘I wonder who it will be?’ the front door of the changing rooms was flung open and in walked their new coach.
‘A woman?’ croaked Robbo.
‘I can’t believe it. No way,’ said Danny.
Specky was speechless, but the rest of the team broke out into a muffled mumble, shocked by the appearance of a very attractive woman with blonde curly hair.
‘All right, settle down!’ ordered Coach Pappas. ‘This is Sandy Pate – Miss Pate or Coach Pate to all of you. She comes to us from Wallaby Valley Secondary College in South Australia, where she has coached the Under Thirteen, Fourteen and Fifteen teams for the last three years. She has coached teams into five separate Grand Finals, winning four of them, and Booyong High considers itself extremely lucky to have her take over my position here. We want you all to welcome her and wish her the very best.’
Specky and his team-mates burst into applause, while Danny shook his head, obviously not impressed.
‘But she’s a woman,’ he protested, in a loud whisper, to Specky and Robbo.
‘So?’ said Robbo. ‘Women play footy, too.’
‘Yeah, I know, but it’s gonna be weird, don’t you think? Speck, what d’ya reckon?’
Danny and Robbo turned to see Specky staring intensely at Miss Pate, as if he was in a trance. He hadn’t heard Danny’s question.
‘Speck? What do you think? Isn’t it gonna be weird having a woman coaching us?’
‘Well …’ said Specky, glancing back and forth between them and Miss Pate. ‘I think you should get with the times, Danny. I think she’ll be great.’
Specky turned to hear Miss Pate speak, while Danny nudged Robbo, rolling his eyes.
‘I don’t believe it,’ Danny said, shaking his head.
‘What?’ asked Robbo. ‘What don’t you believe?’
‘Can’t you see it? Specky’s in loooovvve!’
2. ugly footy!
‘No, I’m not,’ snapped Specky, feeling defensive at the suggestion that he had a crush on Miss Pate – even though he felt a little nervous whenever he looked at her. Danny and Robbo were keen to tease him a little more.
‘I love you, Miss Pate. Can you show me how to kick a torpedo, Miss Pate?’ stirred Danny.
‘Sure, Specky-poo, you adorable boy,’ answered Robbo, in a girlish whisper.
Specky was about to say, ‘knock it off,’ to his friends, when suddenly he was singled out by the new coach.
‘Um, excuse me. You, yes, you,’ she said, pointing directly at Specky. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Um, Specky, um, Simon Magee,’ mumbled Specky, sinking back into his seat.
‘Well, Specky, Simon, I don’t appreciate you and your friends talking amongst yourselves while I’m trying to speak. I’m very happy that Mr Pappas and the rest of the team have given me such a warm welcome. And it would be terrible to spoil that, wouldn’t it?’
Specky sank farther into his seat; he was so embarrassed.
Specky knew that it was important to make eye contact with the coach when he, or she, was talking. It demonstrated that he was listening to what the coach had to say, and it was a sign of respect for those who had given up their time to help him become a better footballer. He always got annoyed with people who daydreamed while the coach was giving a pre-game address or, even worse, talked while they were talking. He shot Danny and Robbo a dirty look, as Miss Pate continued to talk to the rest of the team.
‘Before I agreed to take up this position, I have to confess to you all that I wasn’t sure if I should. I had heard about the way some of you acted in your last game.’
Specky glanced over to his friends and at some of his other team-mates. They all knew what Miss Pate was talking about – their involvement in last year’s Grand Final.
‘But then I realised that there are usually two sides to every story. And I know it’s important to give people a second chance. Today’s the start of a brand new season, a clean slate – an opportunity to move on. But, before you can do that as a team, Mr Pappas and I thought it would be good for you all to take a look back before we look forward.’
Miss Pate pulled out a videotape from her sports bag, while Mr Pappas wheeled in a TV and VCR. Specky and the team looked on, a little confused.
‘What I have here is a home video of last year’s Grand Final.’
There were sudden mumblings and loud whispers from everyone. Miss Pate slipped the video into the VCR and Mr Pappas switched off the lights. Specky’s team fell silent and sat in the darkness, waiting to re-live their last game. But Specky didn’t need to watch, he could remember it all too clearly …
‘Right, this is make or break time,’ said Coach Pappas. ‘If you want to win this Grand Final you’re going to have to go up a gear. Get in there and give it all you’ve got.’ Beads of sweat raced down his flushed, determined face. ‘Show some real guts. Simmo, take more care with your kicking. That last mistake could have been costly; other than that you’re doing a terrific job. What about Bullet’s snapped goal from the forward pocket? Fantastic stuff. It gave us all a lot of confidence. We want more of that. Danny, control your temper, big fella. And that goes for the rest of you. If number nineteen wants to be a boofhead, let him. He’s just trying to suck you in. Ignore him, and let’s just focus on our own game. Specky, take a few risks, mate, and play on at every opportunity. That last goal you scored came about because you did exactly that. That full-back hasn’t got the speed to go with you, so unless you’re well within scoring distance, try and keep it moving. Well done, keep it up.
‘Okay, boys, do I have to spell it out for ya? You’re two clear goals ahead and this premiership can be yours – but only if you want it! Do you want it?’ Coach Pappas shouted, as if he was a major in the army addressing his troops before going into battle.
‘Yeah,’ responded Specky and his team-mates, loudly.
‘I didn’t hear you? Do you want it?’
‘Yeah!’
‘Then don’t let them steal it away from ya! Show them why you’ve been the best team in the league this season!’
There was a huge cheer from Specky and his team-mates, egging one another on. Motivated now, more than ever, to win the game
, they ran back onto the ground to take up their positions against their Grand Final opponents, the Ridley College Razorbacks.
In no time at all, Robbo, who dominated the ruck for most of the game, knocked the ball hard and long down the middle of the ground. Danny was the first to get to the Sherrin, hurriedly choosing to soccer it out towards the outer wing, into no-man’s-land. The Bombay Bullet sprinted alongside a Razorbacks’ mid-fielder, desperately trying to get to the ball, first. As he approached the footy, the Bullet tripped and slid out of control, landing awkwardly on top of it, smothering it with his upper body. Suddenly his opponent was all over him, wedging his knee deep into the Bullet’s spine. The umpire sharply blew his whistle.
‘In the back,’ he shouted, and awarded the Bullet the free kick. Sanjay wasted no time in getting up and chipping it to Smashing Sols, who happened to be running into space at just the right time. Sols made a quick dash along the boundary, bouncing the ball a couple of times before kicking it accurately to the Lions’ half-forward, Gus Turner.
Specky turned away from the VCR to look at Gus who was sitting directly opposite him in the changing rooms. Everyone called Gus ‘Einstein’, because of his brilliant mathematical mind and freakish sense of distance. He could judge the distance of any ball kicked, down to the nearest centimetre. This was always a great party trick and was proudly looked upon by the team. But Specky couldn’t help thinking of the time he had watched Friday night footy on TV with Gus. He vowed he would never do it again. It was one of the most annoying things he had ever endured – Einstein just wouldn’t stop guessing.
‘That’s twenty-two point two metres, that’s forty-three point nine metres. Did you see that? That was an incredible fifty-one point three four metres …’ and so on, all night long. Specky shook his head and turned his attention back to the video – he could see himself pacing about the goal square as Einstein prepared to take his kick.