umpire back to the centre, Specky and his team-mates shook their heads in frustration.Once again, the ball was bounced and Specky’s team-mates, determined to make amends, quickly got it down to their forward-line. But what happened next was almost an identical repeat of the previous play. That is, Simmo again missed an easy mark, the full-back took advantage of his mistake, made a break away, ran for most of the entire ground, and kicked the ball to his full-forward, who scored another goal—all in the span of just a few minutes.
The Redleaf Rovers were on a roll, and continued to outplay Specky’s team for the entire quarter. By the sound of the umpire’s whistle, they had not only clawed their way back, but had taken the lead by one clear goal. Specky’s team-mates were quick to blame Simmo for their dismal quarter. Every goal the other team had kicked was indirectly a result of Simmo’s bad play.
‘So, are you going to switch Specky back to full-forward?’ chorused some of the boys to Coach Pappas as they gathered round for the third-quarter address.
Specky glanced over at Simmo, who had dropped his head in embarrassment. Simmo couldn’t face anyone. He was very upset—heknew he was letting down the entire team. Specky suddenly felt kind of sorry for him. And he also felt slightly guilty that he and the rest of the team were being a little hard on him.
Coach Pappas wasn’t impressed, to say the least.
13 HIS DREAM…
‘How dare you all assume that the reason you’re losing is solely because of one player! This isn’t the team I know. Now stop being so petty—all of you! Great footy players are versatile. They can play in all positions if needed, and it’s a team that wins the game, not just one player. Now get out there and show me teamwork, instead of being such a bunch of whingeing babies pointing the finger at one another!’ Coach Pappas stormed back to the boundary line and joined the parents and other supporters.
‘Come on, everyone, he’s right! We can win this!’ shouted Robbo, who was doing his best to encourage and motivate everyone.
Some players, when things are going against them or their team, retreat into their shells and go all quiet. Real leaders stand out when things aren’t going well. They handle pressure better and look upon the situation as a challenge. Not everyone is comfortable being a leader, using their voice to motivate those around them. Some people prefer to let their actions do the talking for them. But leadership is invaluable, and Robbo was a natural whom the whole team looked up to.
The team eagerly jogged back to their positions, ready to begin the final quarter. Specky took up his position on the wing, right next to where the coach and parents were standing. He glanced over to see Coach Pappas patting Simmo’s dad on the back. From a distance, Simmo’s father appeared very appreciative that the coach had continued to leave his son in the full-forward position. Specky was still baffled by their alliance, but somehow sensed that there must be more to this than plain favouritism.
Whatever the real reason, Specky didn’t have time to think about it—the quarter hadstarted. And what a quarter it turned out to be. It was a hard slog for both teams. Booyong High had regained the excellent skills they had shown in the first half of the game, while Redleaf College were still on the same lucky roll they displayed in the previous quarter. It was goal for goal all the way. Robbo, Danny and Specky all kicked one each, while ‘The Bombay Bullet’ evened the scores with superb back-to-back snaps from both pockets.
It was no surprise to anyone that ‘The Bombay Bullet’s’ two favourite AFL players were Collingwood’s Leon Davis and Carlton’s Eddie Betts. Like these two stars, the ‘Bullet’ had exceptional goal sense, and was always able to find the ‘big sticks’, regardless of how much pressure he was under. He could kick superb ‘bananas’ from the
The Redleaf Rovers were on a roll, and continued to outplay Specky’s team for the entire quarter. By the sound of the umpire’s whistle, they had not only clawed their way back, but had taken the lead by one clear goal. Specky’s team-mates were quick to blame Simmo for their dismal quarter. Every goal the other team had kicked was indirectly a result of Simmo’s bad play.
‘So, are you going to switch Specky back to full-forward?’ chorused some of the boys to Coach Pappas as they gathered round for the third-quarter address.
Specky glanced over at Simmo, who had dropped his head in embarrassment. Simmo couldn’t face anyone. He was very upset—heknew he was letting down the entire team. Specky suddenly felt kind of sorry for him. And he also felt slightly guilty that he and the rest of the team were being a little hard on him.
Coach Pappas wasn’t impressed, to say the least.
13 HIS DREAM…
‘How dare you all assume that the reason you’re losing is solely because of one player! This isn’t the team I know. Now stop being so petty—all of you! Great footy players are versatile. They can play in all positions if needed, and it’s a team that wins the game, not just one player. Now get out there and show me teamwork, instead of being such a bunch of whingeing babies pointing the finger at one another!’ Coach Pappas stormed back to the boundary line and joined the parents and other supporters.
‘Come on, everyone, he’s right! We can win this!’ shouted Robbo, who was doing his best to encourage and motivate everyone.
Some players, when things are going against them or their team, retreat into their shells and go all quiet. Real leaders stand out when things aren’t going well. They handle pressure better and look upon the situation as a challenge. Not everyone is comfortable being a leader, using their voice to motivate those around them. Some people prefer to let their actions do the talking for them. But leadership is invaluable, and Robbo was a natural whom the whole team looked up to.
The team eagerly jogged back to their positions, ready to begin the final quarter. Specky took up his position on the wing, right next to where the coach and parents were standing. He glanced over to see Coach Pappas patting Simmo’s dad on the back. From a distance, Simmo’s father appeared very appreciative that the coach had continued to leave his son in the full-forward position. Specky was still baffled by their alliance, but somehow sensed that there must be more to this than plain favouritism.
Whatever the real reason, Specky didn’t have time to think about it—the quarter hadstarted. And what a quarter it turned out to be. It was a hard slog for both teams. Booyong High had regained the excellent skills they had shown in the first half of the game, while Redleaf College were still on the same lucky roll they displayed in the previous quarter. It was goal for goal all the way. Robbo, Danny and Specky all kicked one each, while ‘The Bombay Bullet’ evened the scores with superb back-to-back snaps from both pockets.
It was no surprise to anyone that ‘The Bombay Bullet’s’ two favourite AFL players were Collingwood’s Leon Davis and Carlton’s Eddie Betts. Like these two stars, the ‘Bullet’ had exceptional goal sense, and was always able to find the ‘big sticks’, regardless of how much pressure he was under. He could kick superb ‘bananas’ from the
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