Specky looked out the window as the massive jet hurtled down the runway. He had been seated next to Kevin Kottersley. Affectionately known as ‘Special K’, Kevin had been the captain of the South Australian team that had defeated Specky’s Victorian side in the State final. Specky and Kevin had had a few run-ins that day, but since then they had put their differences aside.
The great thing about representative football was the opportunity to play alongside footballers from opposing teams or different states. Good players always compete ferociously, but they also admire and respect other talented footballers, even when they are playing for the other team. Specky knew it was also a chance to observe the way the very best players prepared for training and games and pick up some handy tips along the way. He couldn’t wait to play alongside his former rivals.
‘Speck, check out all the movies we can watch,’ said Special K, as he fiddled with the entertainment console in front of him. ‘It’s awesome!’ he said, flicking through the playlist.
Spiro Molopoulos, another player from the Victorian team, was sitting directly in front of Specky and Special K. Next to Spiro sat Dicky, who had finally calmed down after losing his passport. He already had a blow-up pillow nestled around his neck and an eye mask sitting on his forehead, and now the seatbelt light was off he had launched into some sort of strange exercise routine.
‘Anyone want to swap seats?’ Spiro called out.
‘Belt up, Zorba,’ responded Dicky. ‘Haven’t you read the in-flight instruction card?’ he exclaimed, his loud voice carrying for several rows. ‘It says you should do a series of stretching exercises or you might get something called deep-vein thrombosis.’
‘I might catch a movie first, if that’s okay with you, Dicky,’ said Spiro.
Specky pushed the button to recline his seat and smiled to himself. One of the reasons he loved football so much was the team aspect of the sport and the camaraderie that it encouraged. This was never more evident than when a team was on a trip and living in each others’ pockets. It struck Specky how different twenty-five boys could be from each other yet how important it was that they were singleminded and in tune with each other when it came to football.
‘Suit yourself, but don’t come whinging to me if you can’t walk in a couple of hours,’ said Dicky. ‘Look at Skull. He’s making sure he stretches his legs.’
Skull was walking up the aisle and was passing Specky’s seat … for about the fifth time!
‘Hey, Skull, you going to the loo again? Have you got a bladder problem, mate?’ asked Bear Gleeson, the teams’ number-one rover.
‘Bear, you stick with me on this trip,’ said Skull, sitting down next to him. ‘I’ll teach you everything I know about the ladies. Let me just say, I’m getting a lot of interested looks from those flight attendants. I think they’re quite taken by the old nude nut.’ Skull rubbed his bald head and grinned again.
Skull was full of it, thought Specky, but in a good way.
As Skull took his seat, one of the female flight attendants made her way towards him.
‘See! What did I tell ya?’ he said excitedly, nudging Bear in the ribs. ‘She’s coming over for a bit of skull love.’
‘Excuse me, young man, is your name Lenny Morgan?’ asked the flight attendant, flashing Skull a toothy smile.
‘Yep, but I’m not so young,’ said Skull, winking at her. ‘I’ll be going for my driver’s licence in four months. So I’ll have my own wheels soon.’
By now, everyone was paying attention to Skull, including Grub, Bobby and a couple of the adult chaperones.
‘Well, Lenny,’ smiled the flight attendant, ‘I was just wondering whether you would like some crayons and a colouring book to help pass the time. We have a car colouring book – you know, since you’re going to have your own wheels soon.’
Everyone roared with laughter.
‘Ask her for the kids’ menu, Skull!’ said Bear, as the flight attendant headed back to the galley.
From the smug look on Grub’s face, Specky suspected that he might have had something to do with it. The jokes were flying thick and fast, but Skull took it all in his stride.
Specky and his team-mates settled in for what was going to be a long and tiring flight. The coaches had downloaded a few games on to laptops and Specky was watching a DVD of last year’s Under-16s International Rules game against the Irish.
Kevin had moved back three rows to play a computer war game with Mitch Mahoney, a team-mate from WA.
‘Coming in, Magee,’ grunted Grub. ‘Can you make room for an old man?’
Specky pushed pause on the computer and took off his headphones.
‘Arthritis in the fingers and knees and a back that barely bends,’ Grub said, as he sat down. ‘I’m not very well suited to long plane flights. I see you’ve been studying the footage of previous games. What do you make of it all?’
‘Well, it’s a quick game, that’s for sure.’
Specky usually felt a little nervous around Grub, but when the topic of conversation was football all nerves seemed to disappear.
‘The Irish boys aren’t as tall or solid as most of our guys,’ added Specky. ‘But, gee, they can run! They’re extremely tough, and they never seem to lose their feet. I think it’s going to be a really tough challenge.’
Grub smiled. ‘Ah, but you haven’t mentioned the biggest challenge of all,’ he said.
‘The round ball?’ asked Specky.
‘Dead right, son.’
Specky started to feel the nerves kick in. If professionals like James Hird, Nick Reiwoldt and Andrew McLeod struggled to control the round ball, then how were he and his team-mates going to go?
‘Don’t worry too much,’ said Grub. ‘I’ve found that young players adapt pretty quickly. I really wanted to talk to you about something else, though. I’ve been playing around with the team formation and one of the most important positions on the field in International Rules is the goalkeeper. Obviously there’s no position anything like that in Aussie Rules, so without a doubt it’s the most difficult role.’
Specky remembered George Vernon, the Manchester United talent scout, telling him that he had great potential as a goalkeeper. He thought he knew what Grub was about to say next.
‘I reckon with the way you read the ball, and the fact that you’ve got safe hands and move really well from left to right, well, I just think you’re the best man for the job. What do you think?’
Specky didn’t know what to think – could he really be a natural goalie? He’d usually played up front and was used to moving freely around the field. But he could tell from Grub’s tone that it was a great honour to be asked.
‘Well, kid, are you going to say something, or am I going to have to use that big oaf Atkins, instead?’ Grub pressed.
‘Nah, nah, sorry. I’d love to give it a shot. I’ve never done anything like it before, but I promise I’ll give you a hundred percent.’
‘That’s the boy!’ Grub slapped Specky on the back. ‘Bobby has got a DVD highlights package of legends Stephen Silvagni and Dustin Fletcher when they were playing goalie for the senior team. They both did outstanding jobs, so I’m sure you’ll pick up plenty of hints watching them in action.’
Just as Grub was about to get out of his seat, he hesitated, and sat back down.
‘One more thing, son,’ he said. ‘I know you’ve got a fair bit on your plate right now, and I could see from the turn-up at the airport that you’ve got plenty of support, but I just want you to know that my door is always open if you want to talk about this whole Manchester United thing. We’re all a little uncertain about it, to be honest, and we don’t want these guys muckin’ around with your head if it’s never really going to happen. I’m not going to interfere, but I’m here if you want to talk.’
‘Thanks, Grub,’ Specky said. ‘I appreciate it.’ And he really did – he had no idea what was going to happen in the coming weeks. What if he did really well as an International Rules goalie? What if he loved every minute of it? Would that influence his decision to accept the Man United offer? At least if I’m hopeless at it, he thought, and let through a whole stack of goals, then my decision will already be made.
The newpapers back home had been full of articles about former Rugby League stars Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau switching codes and signing with the new AFL Clubs – Gold Coast and Greater West Sydney. Maybe the idea of a kid who grew up playing Aussie Rules becoming a goalie in the English Premier League might not be as crazy as it first seemed …
Specky let out a huge sigh. Only time would tell.