‘So the game we’re going to see is a semi-final between Dublin and Tipperary. Obviously Dublin is our team,’ explained Mrs O’Leary, turning to look at Specky in the back seat.
They were on their way to Dublin’s premier ground, Croke Park, to see a game of hurling. Some of the Australian team would be there as well, with their host families.
Specky didn’t know what to expect from Ireland’s second favourite sport, but he didn’t have much of a chance to think about it. He couldn’t get the image of Skull laughing and filming him out of his head. I’m really gonna cop it from the boys, he thought. Then an awful idea occurred to him – Skull had better not put it up on YouTube or I’ll kill him, he thought, cringing.
Patrick and Caitlin were waiting for them at the main entrance of Croke Park. A few minutes after they arrived, Dicky and his host family, the Nolans, appeared.
Specky met Frankie Nolan’s older brother, Keenan – Caitlin had already rushed over to hold hands with him. But Frankie, sporting a black eye, stood sullenly on his own a few metres away. Specky leaned in to Dicky.
‘So did you get into trouble?’ he asked.
‘It was an accident,’ protested Dicky. ‘I was lifting my suitcase, and the goose walked right in to it.’
‘Seriously?’ laughed Specky. ‘You’re sure you didn’t do it on purpose? Get him back for the other day at the match?’
‘If I’d hit him on purpose, they’d have shipped me off home by now,’ said Dicky. ‘But I’ve got to say, Speck – couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!’
They turned back to join their host families.
‘It’s massive, right?’ Michael said proudly, looking up at the impressive stadium. ‘She’s a thing of real beauty. It’s the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association and has a capacity of over eighty-two thousand people!’
The big game against Ireland the following week would be played at Croke Park and it was Specky’s first look at the ground. It was pretty impressive, he thought.
‘Not bad, but not quite as good as the mighty MCG,’ bragged Dicky. ‘We can fit almost one hundred thousand people in there, and before it was renovated they could squeeze over onehundred and twenty thousand in.’
‘Woah,’ Keenan said, obviously impressed. ‘Did you hear that, Caitlin?’
Caitlin nodded as she stared lovingly at Keenan. Specky caught Michael rolling his eyes.
‘Wow … one hundred and twenty thousand to a football match! That I’d like to see,’ Keenan said. ‘Have ya ever been to the ground?’
‘Been to the ground?’ scoffed Dicky. ‘Speck and I played on it before the Grand Final. It was the best day of my life.’
‘Bollocks,’ grunted Frankie.
Dicky and Frankie exchanged dirty looks. Specky suspected that they had probably been staring each other down like this nonstop.
‘Bollocks nothing!’ Dicky snapped back. ‘Tell him, Speck.’
‘Um, it’s the truth, but I’m just as excited to be playing here,’ said Specky diplomatically.
‘Nothing compares to playing on the MCG – nothing,’ added Dicky, making Frankie snarl more than usual.
‘Um, shouldn’t we be getting inside to watch a bit of hurly action?’ asked Specky, noticing the parents making a move.
‘Its not hurly,’ laughed Michael. ‘It’s hurling!’
Specky and Dicky got in line behind their Irish families, clicked through the turnstiles, and made their way through the stadium.
Specky held his breath as they entered the ground. It was a magnificent arena. It was definitely smaller than the MCG, but Specky could feel a real buzz from the sixty thousand or more fans already in their seats. He could see why Michael spoke so proudly of it.
‘Since this is your first hurling game, I’ll tell you what’s happening,’ Michael said, sitting down next to Specky.
Frankie reluctantly sat down next to Dicky.
Fifteen players jogged onto the field and begin to warm up by smashing what looked like a cricket ball with oversized hockey sticks.
‘Woah. This looks awesome,’ Specky said, as the game got under way.
‘It’s as random as,’ laughed Dicky, as one of the players flicked the ball up off the ground with his stick, then belted it about eighty metres down the ground, only to have one of his teammates catch it without changing stride.
‘The sticks are called hurls and a ball into the back of the net is worth three points,’ explained Michael. ‘And any ball that goes between the posts above the net is worth one point.’
Someone’s gonna get killed, thought Specky as the players raced around the pitch, showing incredible skill and courage. The players were wearing helmets, but they were playing with no regard for their personal safety. They fired away at goals with precise accuracy, all the time being harassed and put off balance by their opponents.
Specky absolutely loved every second of the match. He wasn’t entirely sure of all the rules, but picked up enough to follow the game. He had no choice but to barrack for his host family’s team, Dublin. The way the O’Learys and the Nolans cheered on their teams reminded Specky of the passion you’d see from a Collingwood or Carlton fan back home.
‘Geez, did you see that catch, Speck?’ said Dicky excitedly. ‘Ricky Ponting would have been proud of that!’
The roar of the crowd was deafening, especially when a great catch was made or a long ball rocketed through the big sticks.
Specky looked down the row of seats to see Caitlin, Keenan, Patrick, Joseph and the twins screaming at the top of their lungs and the parents applauding wildly.
The match was turning out to be a real cracker. With just twenty seconds left on the clock, one of Tipperary’s star players dodged and weaved around three opponents and sent a low ball sizzling towards the corner of the net. The Dublin goalkeeper flung himself full length and knocked the ball off course. The siren sounded and Croke Park erupted. Dublin had won by just two points.
The O’Learys and the Nolans jumped from their seats and started hugging whoever they could reach. Keenan and Caitlin started kissing as if it were the end of the world. Joseph and the twins jumped up and down on their seats as if they were mini-trampolines. Michael and Patrick were high-fiving everyone around them.
Dicky was completely overwhelmed with the excitement. He was yelling and bear-hugging everyone, including Frankie who was so excited that he just grinned and broke out singing ‘Come on you boys in blue’ with the rest of the stadium. Dicky joined in and even though he didn’t know the words, he shouted along at the top of his lungs. Those two aren’t so different, after all, thought Specky – at least not when it comes to sport.
‘I’m not exactly certain what just went on,’ Dicky yelled at Specky, ‘but that was one of the best things I have ever seen.’
‘Yeah, and it can even bring enemies together,’ added Specky.
‘Huh?’ said Dicky, looking back at Frankie who gave him another high-five. ‘Oh, yeah, well, he’s not all that bad. It’s all about moving on, Speck …’
Dicky went back to singing and celebrating with the others.
Specky grinned. There was no way he’d ever forget this day with his Irish family.