Standing Tall Page 5
‘I’m glad to be here,’ Aunty said gently. She took a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at his cheeks.
Now, in the change rooms, Sione couldn’t sit still. He paced back and forth along the length of the room. He even clapped and jumped as he walked. There was so much energy inside him he felt like he’d burst if he sat down.
Yet, the rest of his team was sitting down. It was as if everyone’s personalities had flipped. Sione was usually the one sitting quietly in the corner amid the chaos before a game. Today, he was the chaos.
Izzy came up beside Sione. ‘It’s okay to feel nervous,’ he said, ‘or however you feel. Just let your feelings happen.’
Sione nodded.
‘Remember when you found me doing my morning training on the first day of the tour?’
Sione nodded again.
‘From that moment I knew you were destined for great things on the field. You showed your enthusiasm and dedication that morning and every morning you trained with me on tour. Those are two things you need to have to do well.’
‘Thanks,’ Sione said, suddenly shy.
‘And you have shown so many great skills on the field. You’ve been hard at it in pretty much every game. Just yesterday, the way you stepped into the forward line and helped us score that try – well, you’re great.’
This is amazing but why is Izzy saying all this now? Sione wondered.
‘So, after today, I want you to remember that. You are great. Wherever you go and whatever you do, be proud of yourself and try your best.’
Sione wished he could ask Izzy to write those words down so he would never forget them. ‘Yes, Izzy.’
‘Good stuff, mate.’
Sione sat down, the weight of Izzy’s words too great to hold up.
Izzy clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. The twenty Valley boys dressed in green stared up at him, their eyes wide and ready for any encouraging words their coach had to say.
‘There’s not much that I can add to what you already know,’ Izzy began. ‘You know to try your best, to play hard, to remember our training. You know how to play – you just need to do it.
‘So, all I want to tell you is: enjoy yourselves. Soak it all in, never forget it. Be happy you are here no matter the result. And, of course, don’t come off the oval with regrets. I want you to be able to smile when you look back on this experience, even if we lose.’
Sione knew he wouldn’t be leaving with regrets. He was going to play his best – the best he’d ever played. He was going to run, pass and tackle non-stop. Sione also knew he was going to cherish the memory of the tour, if only because he had done it all with Izzy. He had learnt so much from his mentor and coach.
The boys ran out of the change room and up to the ground for the final time as a team. They burst through the banner of green crepe-paper streamers. Sione blinked as the sun shone in his eyes. He held up his arm to shade his face and saw the blue banner on the opposite side of the ground. He looked up at the stands as they ran their lap.
The bowl-like stadium was completely full. Not only was everyone’s family there in force, but the six teams not playing in the final were there, too. And the crowd was loud – really loud. It gave Sione goosebumps.
Sione searched for his family and found them in a patch of green shirts, flags and streamers, sitting almost perpendicular to the halfway line. Sione waved up at them and he saw Mele point and wave back.
Daniel won the coin toss and signalled that he wanted to kick off. Then the Valley captain called everyone in for a team huddle. But this time he didn’t try to excite them with a pep talk. In fact, he said nothing about the game at all.
‘I just wanted to say this in case I don’t get the chance later,’ he shouted to the circle of Valley players. ‘Tomorrow we’re still friends. Tomorrow we are still Valley. This might be our last match but it isn’t the end of us.’
Sione looked straight at Daniel, agreeing wholeheartedly with each word.
‘But right now,’ Daniel added, ‘we have a job to do.’
‘Let’s go, Valley!’ Jake shouted, and the team stretched out along the ground to face South Shore.
Daniel stood in the centre of the field, holding the ball. He looked out across the field at Mick, who stared back, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Daniel could imagine him snarling like an angry dog.
‘Ready to lose again?’ Mick shouted. ‘This is going to be so easy!’
Daniel looked away. He wasn’t going to let the South Shore boys put him off his game this time. He cleared the memory of their previous match from his mind. All that mattered was now, and he wanted to ensure that good rugby won the game, not taunts and heckling.
‘Don’t let them intimidate you, boys,’ Daniel called to his left, down the Valley line. He turned to his right. ‘We can win!’
Daniel kicked the ball. It was a short one, designed to put South Shore under pressure from the start. Mick gathered the ball himself and chuffed towards the Valley line, which was already upon him.
Jake and Adam smacked into him hard. The crowd audibly cringed in response. The Valley supporters cheered once they realised Mick had knocked-on, coughing out the ball from the pound of the tackle.
It took Jake and Adam a while to get up from the tangle of limbs on the ground, but when they finally did, Mick stayed down, clutching his arm and rolling from side to side.
‘They injured me,’ he wailed, ‘on purpose!’
‘Pe-nal-ty! Pe-nal-ty!’ the South Shore boys chanted.
Jake and Adam ran over to plead their case to the ref. Daniel’s mind was swimming. What’s happening? he thought. Mick clearly knocked-on! He’s just trying to distract us.
The referee held up his hand and told Mick to get off the ground if he was injured. Once it was clear no penalty was coming, Mick rose to his feet and winked at Daniel. Designed to anger him, the wink only did the opposite – it made Daniel want to play even harder.
But a few minutes later it was the blue team that scored. A hard-fought try and conversion had them up seven to nil. Daniel was concerned. He was able to ignore the menacing tactics of South Shore, but could his teammates?
After getting the ball back from another kick-off by Daniel, South Shore were set upon by Valley. Tackle, scrum, line-out, kick – the Crocs did everything to perfection and by the book.
We are a true team now, Daniel thought proudly. Nothing can put us off our game.
A few minutes before half-time, the South Shore frustrations rose to an all-time high when one of their centres tackled Steven around the neck. As he walked off the field, Daniel saw the rest of the South Shore team huddle around the tackler to congratulate him. This made Daniel’s blood boil, but he calmed himself and placed the ball on his kicking tee. He was going to get back at them in the best way.
He kicked the penalty goal, taking Valley to three to seven in the first half.
The sound of the crowd filtered into the change room. It was difficult to focus on Izzy with all the noise they were making, but Daniel wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of his team’s success. He leant in closer to hear what his coach had to say.
‘I’ve got two things for you, boys,’ Izzy said. ‘First, I want us to kick the ball high whenever we have the opportunity. They don’t look confident under the high ball. Maybe they’ll drop one or two, we’ll see.’
Daniel and the rest of the team nodded.
‘Also, I want to stress the importance of keeping our defensive line tight. No gaps, no holes. You should be running as hard as the attackers – or even harder! Keep together, move sideways to follow the ball. I know you’re tired, but you can sleep in the car on the way home.’ One or two boys laughed at that. ‘You’re doing great. Remember that you have half a game left. Let’s keep it up!’
The team clapped and filed out of the room, still digesting Izzy’s advice.
The ball went deep early in the second half, and the backs got set for an offensive driv
e led by Daniel. They moved the ball quickly, running hard and passing strong. South Shore clearly didn’t like it when they weren’t in possession. Daniel could tell by the increase of verbal attacks that were coming their way.
‘Give us the ball,’ Mick shouted once, ‘so we don’t have to hurt you in a tackle!’
Valley kept possession for a long time, but South Shore’s tackling was ferocious and it was hard to make any progress upfield. Eventually, Daniel decided it was time for a change. He received the ball and kicked it high towards their fullback.
Valley stormed after the ball, each player wanting to put Izzy’s plan into action. They pressured the South Shore fullback by their very presence and he fumbled the ball. Tezza dove on it, regaining possession for Valley.
‘Come on!’ Mick shouted at his players. ‘They aren’t good enough to beat us!’
The game continued. Daniel grew tired and emotionally distant. It had been a tough slog – this game and the entire tour – and as he was nearing the end, his energy was waning. Yet, he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t bear to let his team down. He played in silence, not hearing a thing besides his own breath. The voices of others were muffled, the ball almost non-existent in his hands.
Tackle after tackle, pass after pass, Daniel felt like a robot. He knew what he had to do and his body did it without prompting. Nothing got through to his senses, especially not South Shore’s teasing. It was as if the game were being played in slow motion and Daniel had all the time in the world to pass a ball or gather it from the ground.
He passed the ball to Sione but seemed to catch it again five minutes later. He turned and looked upfield, his breathing now as loud as thunder. He watched Sione sidestep a defender and then, with a zip, run to the tryline and dive over the line.
With a whoosh like water being sucked down a plughole, the sounds of the game returned, swirling all around Daniel as he leapt into the air, screaming. The Valley supporters jumped to their feet, cheering, as Sione stood up clutching the ball.
Daniel ran over and lifted him high like a line-out forward, Sione pumping his fists in the air. Soon they were surrounded by the rest of their teammates. Daniel looked up at the crowd. His dad was jumping up and down with the other parents, cheering more than Daniel had ever seen him cheer, which made the try even sweeter.
The referee reminded Daniel of his conversion attempt. Daniel smiled with glee as he ran to set up the kick, leaving his team to continue celebrating their try. He went through the motions and slotted the kick easily, putting Valley in front by ten points to seven. But in the end those extra two points didn’t matter. Seconds after restarting play, the siren blew. Daniel reached for the sky, not wanting the siren to stop.
Arms swung around him as he was hugged on all sides by his teammates. A wave of green-shirted supporters ran onto the field, surrounding the team and cheering ‘Go, Crocs! Go, Crocs!’ Daniel laughed, no longer knowing which way was up.
A hand reached through and grabbed Daniel, pulling him close. His dad embraced him tight for the first time in years and Daniel let him.
‘You played so well!’ his dad yelled above the noise. ‘I am so, so proud of you. So proud!’
Daniel looked up at his father and smiled, before they were jostled apart by the crowd. ‘Where’s Izzy?’ he asked. His dad pointed over Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel turned around to see his coach running to him. ‘We did it, Izzy! We did it!’ he yelled.
‘Yes, we did,’ Izzy said, grinning from ear to ear. He gave Daniel a high five and they held up each other’s hands in triumph.
Daniel scanned the crowded field for Sione. He finally spotted him and jogged over. ‘You played amazing,’ Daniel said proudly.
‘Are you kidding?’ Sione replied, incredulous. ‘You were the greatest!’
‘We did it! Can you believe it?’ Daniel laughed.
Sione nodded. ‘This is exactly how I want to remember today. It’s perfect.’
Sione knelt down and and pulled out a clump of soggy paper from one of his socks. ‘Look, Mele,’ he called, ‘I kept your drawing!’
Daniel pulled a face. ‘Oh, man, that’s gross!’
Mele ran up to her big brother and hugged him around the waist. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, looking over at Daniel. ‘I can draw one for you for the next game.’
Daniel grinned. ‘Why not tomorrow after school?’
Mele giggled and skipped back to her aunty and father.
Sione looked at Daniel. ‘You mean it? You’re gonna come over?’
‘Of course,’ Daniel said, ‘and I’m bringing my new trophy with me!’
POSITION: Wing
SCHOOL: Valley North
TEAM: The Tigers
LOVES TO: Watch Izzy Folau play on TV
Picked to play for the Valley team on the wing, Sione has many attributes that good wingers need. He is fast, fit and able to find a gap within any line of defence. At first, Sione wasn’t sure if playing on a rep team was the right fit for him, but since finding his feet with Valley, he has become more comfortable with his selection.
Soft-spoken Sione does all his ‘talking’ on the rugby field, where he strives to play with the enthusiasm and happiness of his hero, Izzy Folau. Sione plays for the Tigers in his local competition. There, he has excelled and become what many rugby fans might call a ‘try-scoring machine’, though those are words he would never use to describe himself.
POSITION: Fly-half
SCHOOL: Barton Grammar
TEAM: Barton Grammar
LOVES TO: Kick a match-winning goal
Daniel plays for Valley at the vital position of fly-half. As he directs the back line on the field, he also tries hard to lead by example off the field. Daniel’s ultimate dream is to captain Australia at the Rugby World Cup. Sometimes his dedication and desire to win get in the way of having a good time, but with Valley, he is learning to do both.
Daniel is also a terrific goal kicker who is never happier than after kicking one hundred per cent of his attempts in a match. His success comes from the extra hard work he puts in after training and on his days off. If there ever was a boy who loved his rugby, it’s Daniel. Possibly the most passionate rugby player in the world after Izzy Folau, Daniel never stops giving his all.
Name: Daniel Masters
Position: Fly-half
Plays for: Barton Grammar
Known for: His accurate goal kicking
Greatest moment: Leading his team to an undefeated season
Name: Sione ‘the Eel’ Taito
Position: Wing
Plays for: The Tigers
Known for: Weaving through defenders
Greatest moment: Being selected for the Valley rep team
Name: Theo ‘TJ’ Jones
Position: Fullback
Plays for: Grantham Boys
Known for: Catching high balls under pressure
Greatest moment: Scoring three tries in a grand final
Name: Steven Hendricks
Position: Wing
Plays for: The Bears
Known for: His courage under pressure
Greatest moment: Scoring a try in his first game
Name: Eric Le
Position: Centre
Plays for: Saxby Prep
Known for: Being selected for Valley in his first year playing rugby
Greatest moment: Scoring a hundred-metre try
Name: Joseph Rosenberg
Position: Centre
Plays for: Saxby Prep
Known for: His ability to set up tries
Greatest moment: Putting five other teammates on the scoreboard in one game
Name: Harrison Gordon
Position: Scrum-half
Plays for: Bunyan Bunyips
Known for: His leadership at the scrum
Greatest moment: Winning his team’s Best Player trophy two years in a row
Name: Derek ‘the Ringmaster’ Ngo
Position: Wing
Plays for: Clifton Gr
ammar
Known for: Running rings around the opposition
Greatest moment: Being promoted from the D Team to the A Team at school within two weeks
Name: Ty Fennelly
Position: Fullback
Plays for: St Francis’s
Known for: His long kick returns
Greatest moment: Scoring twenty-five points in one match
Name: Jake Hunter
Position: Prop
Plays for: Queens
Known for: His strong tackling
Greatest moment: Playing every minute of every game last season
Name: Benny Simons
Position: Prop
Plays for: Queens
Known for: Pushing opposition teams back in the scrum
Greatest moment: Being selected for two different rep teams in two different states
Name: Adam El-Attar
Position: Hooker
Plays for: St Christopher’s
Known for: His jumping in the line-out
Greatest moment: Making thirty tackles in one game
Name: Tim Broadbent
Position: Second row
Plays for: The Saints
Known for: His goal kicking
Greatest moment: His tackle in extra time that saved his team’s season
Name: Patrick Mulholland
Position: Second row
Plays for: The Saints
Known for: Taking on any opponent, no matter how big
Greatest moment: Chasing down an opponent from twenty metres behind, then tackling him into touch
Name: Terry ‘Tezza’ Williams
Position: Flanker
Plays for: The Bears
Known for: His speed down the blind side
Greatest moment: Scoring a try in every game last season
Name: Zach Smith
Position: Flanker