Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest

by Felice Arena

  ‘That’s Leigh Matthews. The coach of Brisbane Lions,’ said Specky, happy to have recognised a face from his world.

  ‘Brisbane Lions?’ Simon gasped in horror. ‘Brisbane has a football team? And what do you mean the Lions? Fitzroy are the Lions.’

  On the way back home, Specky tried to explain as much as he could about the changes that had occurred in football over the years.

  ‘You’re kidding! Matches are played on Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday? Amazing!’

  Simon couldn’t believe that players travelled all around Australia, and played against sides like the West Coast Eagles and the Adelaide Crows. When Specky mentioned that there were some players earning over 500,000 dollars per year, Simon had to stop pedalling and take a deep breath.

  Back home, Simon and Specky made themselves comfortable in front of the TV. Specky couldn’t help noticing that it was large and chunky and was encased within a big wooden frame. He was also amazed to see that Simon had to switch it on and change the channels by getting up and walking over to it – there was no such thing as a remote control.

  ‘It’s colour. It’s a Rank Arena and we’ve only had it for a few months,’ Simon said proudly, as he flopped into a brown suede beanbag chair.

  Finally, the big game was about to begin. Simon was beside himself; it was to be the first-ever live telecast of the Grand Final, and he couldn’t wait.

  Specky was excited for him. And he was happy to hear a familiar voice calling the game.

  ‘I know that voice,’ said Specky excitedly. ‘That’s Lou Richards. He’s a legend. He runs the handballing segment on “The Sunday Footy Show”, on Channel Nine.’

  ‘You mean “World of Sport”, on Channel Seven?’ asked Simon, looking confused.

  Specky shrugged, realising again that a lot of what he was saying made no sense to Simon.

  Eventually the Grand Final was under way.

  Simon was going for Collingwood – shouting his support at the screen for players like Manassa, Moore, Weirmouth, and Magro. Remembering that he had promised Danny and Robbo that he would choose just one team to support, Specky wondered whether he should barrack for the Pies, since that was Simon’s favourite side. It was something he would definitely take into consideration.

  By the last quarter it looked as if Simon would be celebrating his team’s victory. Collingwood was ahead by 27 points. But all of a sudden, North Melbourne dramatically turned the game around and kicked five straight goals, putting them in front with only minutes left to go in the match. Simon was now on his feet, jumping up and down, and so were the 110,000 fans at the MCG. With the clock continuing to count down one dramatic second after another, Billy Picken of Collingwood suddenly kicked a wobbly punt. The pack flew and out of it emerged Ross ‘Twiggy’ Dunne to take the mark directly in front of the big sticks. The lanky Magpie champ then kicked for goal.

  ‘YESSSS! He got it!’ screamed Simon and Specky at the top of their lungs.

  ‘It’s a draw! The nineteen seventy-seven Grand Final is a draw! We’ll be back here next week,’ croaked Lou Richards through the muffled TV speakers.

  Simon looked at Specky completed dumbfounded. They had witnessed something people would talk about for years to come.

  Just then, Specky’s image of Simon started to fade into a thick white cloud.

  ‘See you, Specky,’ he said. ‘Before you go, remember this coming weekend; The Saints will beat Essendon by over ten goals. By over ten goals. Over ten goals.’ His voice echoed and petered out.

  Specky slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the morning sun as it streamed through his bedroom window and across his face. He was awake and back in his own twenty-first century surroundings.

  12. captaincy

  There was no school football played during the holidays. So, unlike most kids, Specky was more than happy to return to Booyong High and begin the second term. He missed playing, and was raring to get back into it the following Saturday. Specky was in the school changing rooms with Danny and Robbo, telling them about his dream.

  ‘It was just really weird. It felt so real. And at the end of it, I was told that The Saints will beat Essendon by over ten goals!’

  ‘I bet it’s because of the full-on study you’re doing. And knowing all about that seventies stuff, well, that’s not so weird; you said yourself that you had just read all about it – you were bound to dream about it. If I were you, I’d lay off the books for a while,’ said Robbo, shrugging it off as if it happened all the time.

  ‘The Saints clobbering Essendon by ten goals – I don’t think so. You’ve gotta admit that’s pretty unbelievable. But they do play each other today,’ said Danny.

  ‘Yeah, I s’pose you’re both right,’ said Specky, determined not to give the dream any more attention than it deserved.

  ‘Okay, listen up, boys!’ said Coach Pate, calling for the team’s attention.

  ‘After today’s game, don’t rush off home. I want you back in here, ready to vote for a captain and vice captain for the team.’

  Specky was instantly nervous. Was it wrong for him to want to become captain, so much? He admired some of the great AFL captains, the likes of Matthew Primus, Nathan Buckley, James Hird, Shane Crawford, Mark Ricciutto, Anthony Stevens and Peter Bell, and it seemed only natural that he should want to follow in their footsteps. It didn’t mean he wasn’t happy with Robbo as captain. It was just that he hoped he might get the chance to lead the team this year.

  Coach Pate continued.

  ‘So keep in mind, the captain we want is someone who is not only a great player but also a great leader, somebody whose presence always lifts the team. Week-in, week-out. Okay, that’s enough from me; get out there and have a great game.’

  Specky and his team-mates whooped and whistled as they shuffled out of the changing rooms and onto the ground. Coach Pate had decided that Specky was to swap with Screamer between full-forward and centre half-back, alternating each quarter. She still hadn’t made up her mind about which one was to be the permanent full-forward – despite the increasing pressure from Screamer’s dad.

  ‘My boy is a born forward. He’s hungry to kick goals but you’re preventing him from doing so.’ Mr Johnson was complaining as he took up his post on the boundary line. Coach Pate just continued to ignore him, and instead fixed her attention on what was going on out on the ground. Before long, Specky and the rest of the team were playing one of their best games yet this season. Granted, the St David Panthers, were one of the weaker teams in the league and hadn’t won a game to date, but it was hard to ignore the dominance of Booyong High.

  By half-time the Lions were a sensational 86 points to the Panthers’ sad zilch. Specky and Screamer had kicked an astonishing eleven goals between them. During the third quarter they had extended their incredible lead to well over 120 points; the embarrassed Panthers struggled to even touch the ball. Midway through the third term, their full-back, while contesting a mark in a pack, had his front tooth accidentally knocked out by a player from his own team. Specky went over to the full-back and helped him to his feet.

  Specky was thankful that Booyong High had a policy of ‘No mouthguard, No play’. The players had all protested at first, because they thought that the mouthguards would be uncomfortable – making it hard for them to breath and talk to one another. But once they’d tried them, every single player was happy wearing one. Specky used a mouthguard from the Chemist for the first couple of years, but last season the dentist had made one up using a mould from Specky’s teeth. He had to bite down into some nasty-tasting white stuff, to get an imprint, but now he wouldn’t think of playing without it. He’d even had it made in the colours of Booyong High – green and blue.

  The full-back wiped away a few tears and spat blood as he left the ground, helped by the umpire. Specky looked over to see Screamer’s reaction – he was smirking, as if he was amused by the whole incident.

  With the game well and truly won, Coach Pate decided to take Specky and
Screamer off for the last quarter, and give some of the other players, who didn’t get to play as often, a good run. Specky happily went and sat on the bench, but Screamer, encouraged by his father, spent the whole quarter whinging and complaining about the fact that he was missing out on the chance to kick some easy goals, against the much weaker opposition. Specky couldn’t believe how selfish they were being.

  Finally, the siren sounded and the Panthers no longer had to endure another second of humiliation. As for the Lions, they celebrated their awesome victory by breaking out into a chorus of their team song. Specky was named best on ground once again, which, according to some of his team-mates, increased his chances of being voted captain.

  ‘I wouldn’t brag about being best on ground when the team were a bunch of fat kids wearing those old-fashioned woollen jumpers,’ Screamer sneered, making sure no one except Specky heard him.

  Specky bit his tongue and decided he would let that insult fly by as he entered the changing rooms to take part in the voting.

  ‘Remember, you can’t vote for yourself,’ announced Coach Pate. ‘On the pieces of paper that Mr Johnson is now handing out, I want you to write the names of two players. The first name will be your choice for captain, while the second will be vice captain. Once you’ve done that, fold your paper in half and drop it into this cap I’m holding.’

  Screamer’s dad handed out pencils to all the boys, and it was time to vote.

  Specky knew exactly who he would pick. He scribbled down the names Josh Roberts and Danny Castelino and dropped the folded paper into the cap.

  ‘Okay, we’ve got them all in now,’ said the Coach. ‘Right, give us some time to tally these up. We’ll be back in a sec.’

  As Coach Pate, Screamer’s dad and some of the other parents left, the team burst into a hubbub of excitement.

  ‘I put you guys down,’ said Specky, smiling at Robbo and Danny.

  He thought they hadn’t heard him since they were both looking over at Screamer on the other side of the room. They were giving him a thumbs up.

  Specky had a horrible suspicion.

  ‘You guys didn’t vote for him, did you?’ he asked, nudging at them both.

  Robbo and Danny weren’t very good when it came to lying – their guilty faces said it all.

  ‘You did. I can’t believe it. Why?’ muttered Specky in disbelief.

  ‘Well, I voted for you, as well,’ said Robbo.

  ‘Me too,’ added Danny.

  Specky shook his head at his friends, feeling slightly betrayed, but glad that he was one of their choices.

  ‘Well, thanks, I suppose,’ he replied. ‘It’s good to know that you guys voted for me as captain.’

  Robbo and Danny immediately looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with Specky, their faces looking twice as guilty as before.

  ‘You did vote for me as captain, didn’t you?’ asked Specky, desperately wanting some sort of confirmation from his best mates.

  Before Specky could get any answer from his friends, Coach Pate returned to announce the results of the voting.

  ‘Okay! Here we go. First, the vice captain,’ she shouted above the chattering. ‘It was very, very close …’

  Specky took a deep breath and caught Screamer glaring and screwing up his top lip at him.

  ‘Put your hands together for your vice captain, for the second year in a row – Simon Magee!’

  The team burst into raucous cheering and applause.

  Specky smiled. He was grateful to be chosen again, but he couldn’t help feeling some disappointment at not being picked for captain.

  ‘Right, now for captain, which I have to say was only one vote more than our vice captain – very close indeed,’ said Coach Pate, as the team settled back down. Specky felt worse after the last comment.

  Awwh man, I just missed out. Oh well, at least it’s Robbo, he thought, glancing over at his mate and nodding at him as if to say, ‘It’s you, again!’ And then he was suddenly struck with a horrible thought. What if it wasn’t Robbo?

  As Specky turned to face the coach, he once again caught Screamer sneering at him from across the changing rooms.

  ‘I hope he isn’t picked. Please, not him. Anyone but Screamer Johnson,’ Specky whispered, under his breath.

  ‘The captain of Booyong High,’ said Coach Pate, coughing. ‘Excuse me, I have a frog in my throat. I’ll start again. The captain of Booyong High Lions Under 14’s team this year is …’

  ‘Please not Screamer,’ Specky repeated, one more time.

  ‘Derek Johnson!’

  13. coincidence or not?

  It was going to take some time to get used to the idea that he would’ve been captain if his two best friends hadn’t voted against him. But despite the shocking result and the fact that he knew what Screamer was really like, Specky tried to put aside the bitterness he was feeling and, with the rest of his team-mates, graciously congratulated Screamer.

  Not being captain didn’t mean that he couldn’t be a good leader. As the vice captain of the team, Specky realised he had to offer Screamer a lot of support, and set a very good example for the rest of the team to follow. He knew that being the leader of a football side didn’t make you the ‘boss’ of the side. You were still just one of eighteen players on a team, and at different stages of the game, it was expected that all the players would display some leadership qualities.

  Later that afternoon at home, Specky was happy to be able to unload on-line to Christina. He hadn’t chatted to her for over a week.

  FOOTYHEAD: You should’ve seen his dad! He was really going over the top, cheering and yelling out, ‘Yeah! Yeah! About time my boy is respected!’

  CHRISkicks: Really? That’s a bit full on! But the team must really like Screamer, if they reckon he’s good enough 2 b captain.

  FOOTYHEAD: Yeah, but that’s only because he’s been pretending 2 b nice 2 them all …

  CHRISkicks: Maybe he’s not pretending. Maybe he just doesn’t like u. Besides, he is a good player. And the team can c that no matter what.

  Specky didn’t like how the discussion was going. He couldn’t understand why Christina would defend Screamer. He decided to change the subject.

  FOOTYHEAD: How did u go at Telstra Dome? Have u gotten stuck into studying 4 the quiz yet?

  ‘Simon,’ shouted Specky’s mum from downstairs.

  ‘Hold on a sec,’ he shouted back.

  CHRISkicks: About the quiz. I keep meaning 2 tell u –

  ‘Simon!’ It was his mum again. ‘Could you get the door, I’ve got my hands full.’

  ‘Okay, Okay.’

  FOOTYHEAD: Sorry, Chris. I’ve gotta go. Can we talk later?

  He cut his chat with Christina short and ran down to find Robbo and Danny standing in the doorway.

  ‘Hey,’ they said, looking sheepish.

  ‘Hey,’ responded Specky without enthusiasm; they were the last two people he wanted to see.

  ‘We just came round to say we hope you’re not feeling too cheesed off with us about voting for Screamer and everything,’ mumbled Robbo.

  ‘Yeah, and I feel pretty bad too,’ added Danny, doing his best to be apologetic.

  ‘Whatever! Your clever voting back-fired on you, too. You totally missed out this year, Robbo,’ Specky replied, bitterly. Specky thought about dropping the subject, yet again, but he thought it was about time he let his friends know how he felt. ‘I just thought that years of being best mates might’ve counted for more than a few weeks of him sucking up, and a couple of half-melted Tim Tams. I guess I was wrong.’

  Robbo and Danny shuffled awkwardly, not sure what to say.

  ‘Coming through!’

  It was Alice returning home from a day out with her friends. She was still decked out in Hawthorn colours.

  ‘What’s wrong with you?’ asked Specky, annoyed at the interruption, as his sister charged past him and his friends.

  ‘I’ve spent the last few hours at the Hawthorn Football Club hoping that S
hane would turn up,’ she said in a huff.

  ‘Great, now my sister’s a stalker,’ quipped Specky, rolling his eyes.

  ‘No, I’m not,’ she snapped. ‘It was Rachel’s idea. And all we wanted to do was say a quick Hi.’

  Alice rushed upstairs. Danny and Robbo laughed, nervously, but it was obvious that they still felt terrible about what they had done to Specky.

  ‘Anyway, we’re sorry,’ said Robbo.

  ‘What’s done is done,’ said Specky, clenching his teeth, still angry. ‘I s’pose I’ll catch you guys later.’

  But Specky could see that his friends still had something else to say.

  ‘What?’ he asked.

  ‘Did you hear the results of today’s game?’ asked Robbo.

  ‘St. Kilda beat Essendon today – by ten goals! Your prediction came true,’ blurted Danny.

  At first, Specky thought his friends were pulling his leg, but they continued to carry on, and he realised that they were serious.

  ‘Isn’t that unreal? How’d you do it?’ asked Robbo.

  ‘I told you, I just dreamt about it,’ said Specky, laughing nervously and feeling slightly amazed at himself.

  ‘Maybe you’re psychic or something?’ suggested Danny

  ‘Huh? I doubt it.’

  Specky began to wish he hadn’t talked about the dream in the first place – his friends were blowing it out of proportion and he wasn’t really in the mood to talk about it.

  ‘Look, it’s no big deal. I bet it’s just a coincidence. I wouldn’t worry about it,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, well, tell us if you have another one of those visions. Maybe I can get my dad to buy a Footy Tips ticket,’ smiled Robbo, whose eyes fell to the carved footy around Specky’s neck.

  ‘What’s that?’ he asked.

  Specky realised that he hadn’t shown the carved footy to his friends. He explained how it was a gift on loan from Johnny’s father.