Long Game

by Catherine Evans

  The day before the game, they had a training run on the oval they’d be playing on. Cress’s nerves jangled as she stretched and warmed up. If she was like this today, she worried about how she’d be tomorrow.

  ‘Okay?’ Mattie asked as she loped up to Cress.

  ‘Overwhelmed.’ Cress figured something close to the truth was best. Overwhelmed didn’t do justice to all the jangle of emotion, but it was a start.

  ‘That’s why we’re here today.’ Mattie’s grin was not quite spontaneous and real. Nerves were affecting everyone.

  Cress had serious stretching to do, then a bit of running to warm right up, and then she wanted to kick for a while to get the feel of the ground. Sure, they all had the same distance markers, but every ground had a different feel to it. The same way every day had a different feel. She liked to get a feel of the ground. Run around, like she would in a paddock at home, letting her feet feel this new earth.

  She wasn’t talking about this to anyone. It was her method and her madness. The others gave her enough stick about farming and gardening, mowing and weeding, not to mention her hometown’s name. She didn’t mind being the country bumpkin and the butt of those jokes; she just wasn’t giving them any extra ammunition.

  When training was finished, they showered and relaxed. A team lunch was followed by time wandering the city. Cress and the yoga girls headed to the park.

  ‘I don’t know about you guys,’ Geral said, ‘but the last thing I need are crowds and traffic. I’m geed up enough as it is.’

  ‘Give me green grass and trees any day.’ Kirstin’s voice was almost a sigh.

  ‘Watch out guys, you’re all sounding a bit country.’ Cress could not help but tease them.

  ‘Sounds like we need to do some yoga.’ Petra stood beneath a huge tree, hands on hips and looking at the spongy grass towards the outer edges of the canopy.

  Yoga in the park sounded like the perfect way to relax, so Cress moved just out of the tree’s drip line. She took off her T-shirt, shoes and socks, so she wore her usual yoga attire of shorts and a crop top. When they’d all taken a suitable space and made themselves comfortable, they went through the usual morning routine Claudine had them doing recently.

  There was a stillness to the warm air. The ground seemed to quiver beneath Cress’s bare feet. Blades of grass slid between her toes, and sometimes the blunt ends poked lightly at the softer webbing between toes. Sunshine penetrated, helping her to centre and focus. Each breath brought a deeper calm.

  Each muscle moved slowly as she unfolded from one pose to the next. Focusing on her breath as it was drawn inside, and then released.

  Tension, concern, nerves all dropped away as Cress continued the session. She hadn’t been a huge yoga exponent before but the mornings with Claudine had changed her mind. They gave her a great start to the day because she was clear and centred. Any residual worries from the previous day dropped from her. She started the new day fresh.

  When she’d finished the session, and was lying on the springy grass staring at the blue sky, a deep contentment settled in her. She was here to do a job, and in the scheme of life, Cress Kennedy only had a small role. Small, but significant. That’s all she had to focus on.

  Chapter 16

  This was the hardest, toughest, fastest game Cress had ever played. Welcome to W.A.R.! Her lungs were like bellows drawing in great gulps of air, and her muscles burned, but she wouldn’t swap it for anything. She’d dreamed of playing footy this hard. Dreamed of matching it with the men. Dreamed of crowds this huge and vocal. It was almost deafening.

  Her opponent, from the Melbourne Muses, was stretching Cress’s abilities, and that hadn’t happened for a long time. Probably not since she’d been playing against Quin in the paddocks at home. Or Boxing Day, if they’d been allowed to play for longer.

  The game was moving their way and Cress knew the next ball was coming for her; she needed open space. Sprinting flat out, she and her opponent were racing up the field: their speed seemed equal. Cress had had a couple of metres head start and she needed to keep that if she was to get this ball. Every part of her focused on running, getting as much acceleration into her legs as she possibly could, while maintaining the most direct line to the ball. Her eyes remained trained on the ball as it soared towards her. She urged herself to go a bit faster, knowing that she’d be there just as the ball came to her.

  Arms outstretched, she timed it perfectly. The ball dropped into her arms and she eased back on her pace. She had it. All she did to celebrate was grunt her satisfaction as she sucked air. Glancing around the ground, Cress saw space ahead. If she could get there, she could kick this. With an opponent on her heels, there was no time to slow, or think. She spurted ahead, speed on again. Trying to get up to her fully outstretched pace as quickly as possible. She wasn’t sure if it was blood rushing in her head, or her opponent breathing down her neck, but whichever it was, she didn’t have much time.

  Balancing up, Cress adjusted the ball in her hands, ready to bounce it. Released perfectly, the ball thudded into the ground before snapping back into her hands as if she had it on a string. Steadying herself, focusing on ball and goalposts, Cress swung her leg and the ball connected perfectly with her boot. Leg outstretched, the air shifted around her just as she was hit. Hard. Arms wrapped around her hips and she was brought to the ground with a thud.

  As she met the ground, it jarred the breath from her. She gulped and sucked for oxygen. A body rolled from her and the air rushed in. A hand on her shoulder, moving her. A face peering at her, concern etched into the features.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  A full breath and Cress managed to nod. Her opponent extended her hand and Cress was drawn up from the ground and became aware of the deafening noise. She looked to the goals and the umpire had a flag in each hand. She’d kicked it.

  The world sped up again. Normal speed.

  Her eyes flared, and Sirens guernseys swamp her. Her shoulders hit in friendly, excited thumps.

  ‘Way to go, Cress.’

  ‘Freaking awesome goal.’

  ‘You total legend.’

  It was loud. It was proud. It was her team. Her first goal of the Women’s Aussie Rules comp. Her burning lungs were worth it. Her aching legs, worth it. That bone-jarring tackle, totally worth it.

  ‘A few more of those, thanks.’ Ali’s grin had Cress laughing.

  There was no more time for accolades or celebration. The ball was bounced and they were back, focusing on the game, trying desperately to win the opening game of the W.A.R. Both teams were vying for the honour, and it was everything Cress had ever dreamed of. Hard. Tough. Competitive.

  At the long break, with half the game still to go, Cress had time to think. She had to outwit her opponent because they were so evenly matched. Every second of the game they were competing, and Cress wasn’t sure she was coming out ahead. She wasn’t far behind but she knew she had to try something different.

  ‘Let’s nail this quarter, Sirens.’ The coach’s words only strengthened Cress’s resolve. She was leaving nothing untried. She would use every bit of her training to outplay this girl. She hadn’t spent years playing against her brothers and Quin to be beaten by a girl.

  ‘Sirens!’ The shout went out and goosebumps danced down Cress’s spine. This was the third time the team meeting had ended with that exchange and her reaction had been the same each time. It could even be getting more pronounced.

  They were behind on the scoreboard and they had to get in front.

  The third quarter was tougher than the first two. Cress was running deeper into the defence this quarter, trying to wear her opponent down. Betting that the years spent running around the paddocks at home was a better training for her aerobic fitness than her opponent’s city living. Not that she knew her opponent hadn’t had the same youth, but Cress couldn’t think about that. She had to back herself. She had to get deep into the defence, and then sprint back, hard, to her wing position, trying to outrun h
er opponent. After scoring her first goal by being a tad faster, or a little ahead to start with, she had to keep doing that. No matter how hard her lungs screamed. No matter how hard her thighs burned.

  When the ball came towards her again, she had to fly. Jostling her opponent for position, trying to remain balanced, keeping her eye on the ball. This one was going high. Too high. Cress leaped, and the air seemed to hold her, suspended, for just the extra seconds she needed for the ball to connect with her hands. She clasped it tight, came down hard, and was paid the mark.

  Once again, her opponent checked on her before leaving her to haul herself off the ground and take the kick. She took her time to fill her lungs, stretch out the kinks, and ease the burning. She took the steps backwards while balancing herself and the ball in her hands. She ran in, dropped the ball towards her toe, watched that red leather soar.

  Sweet. The ball sailed and Cress held her breath; she knew she’d nailed the direction, it came off her boot perfectly, she just wasn’t sure it had the distance. The descent was close, and it was hard to see, but a Muses player was racing for the ball. Cress held her breath. The Muses player leapt high. Cress wasn’t sure, but she thought the ball had deflected. The Muses player had touched her goal. Her heart sank. Only one flag came out, and the umpire indicated a touch. Cress’s heart sank. Her luck wasn’t running.

  By the end of the third quarter, they were still in the game, but their final term had to be huge.

  ‘Okay, Cress?’ Mattie was staring at her.

  Cress gave a sharp nod.

  ‘You’re doing a great job of keeping on top of that chick.’

  ‘She’s fast, and good. Really testing me.’

  Mattie squeezed her shoulder. ‘You’re holding your own. I bet she’s over there with the Muses saying, “Damn, that girl’s good. She’s hurting me.”’

  Cress laughed, which she suspected was exactly what Mattie was aiming for. ‘It doesn’t feel like I’m making much ground.’

  Mattie grinned. ‘She’s not making any ground either. And that’s exactly what she’d be doing if you weren’t keeping her in check. She’d be wreaking havoc on us. You keep holding her, or this scoreline is going to blow out.’

  Cress nodded. She’d always had a burning need to play the best game she could, which included keeping her opponent contained, and Mattie’s words only reinforced that desire. She had one more quarter to run this girl ragged. She had to remember every tiny tip Dad, her brothers, or Quin had taught her. She had to make them proud.

  By the end of the final quarter, Cress figured she’d run them both ragged. She’d tried her heart out but the Sirens went down, 4.5.29, to the Muses, 7.6.48, and it hurt. Pride as well as body. Cress could hardly remember a time when her body ached as much as it did now.

  However, her opponent didn’t need to know that. So rather than collapse flat out on the ground, Cress jogged over to her and tapped her shoulder. ‘Congrats. That was a brilliant game. Thank you.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m Cress Kennedy.’

  ‘Angie Bryant.’ They shook hands. ‘I didn’t think you’d be so good.’

  Cress laughed. ‘Same.’ She paused for a moment. ‘I suppose every game is going to be this tough.’

  ‘Who’re you playing next?’

  ‘Astors, you?’

  ‘Banshees.’

  ‘Want to compare notes? Or is that bad?’

  Angie grinned. ‘I’m all for bad. How do we do this?’

  ‘Send me a tweet, @CressK, and then we can work it out.’

  ‘Cool. Good luck for the season.’ Angie tapped her on the shoulder as Cress wished her the same.

  Then Cress headed to the team huddle. The scoreline wasn’t good. Cress was expecting the worst.

  Ali and Mattie patted her back as she joined the group. A few others came in and then the coach spoke. ‘Don’t look so down. We’ve just played our first game in the W.A.R., with a huge crowd, and we didn’t disgrace ourselves. Take pride in what we’ve done.’ Jolene let that sink in for a while, but the gloss had worn off Cress’s pride. Her pride had dings. ‘Next week, we win.’ Jolene’s voice was tough. ‘No excuses. Go ice up, clean up, whatever you need. Today and tomorrow you can think about this game, but when we get home we work forwards. Next Saturday, we’re at home, and we’re winning. Okay, Sirens?’

  A few murmurs of response.

  ‘I’m not hearing you. Okay, Sirens?’

  Cress took a deep breath and yelled. ‘Sirens!’ Everyone else said ‘yes’. She’d answered as if the game was still being played. She bit her lips and glanced at Jolene. ‘Sorry.’

  Jolene grinned. ‘Actually, I thought you’d all answer like that.’

  Laughter followed the comment and they broke up from the team huddle. ‘Let’s thank the fans.’ Ali’s comment stopped everyone. Ali waved her hand around the grounds at all the kids hanging over the fence, and families standing around. Cress hadn’t experienced, or expected, anything like this. Usually the crowd was small and dispersed quickly.

  As a team, the Sirens jogged around the edges of the ground, stopping for family and friends, or for people who just wanted to cheer or take a photo. It didn’t seem to matter who some people barracked for, they still wanted photos with the Sirens. No words described this. She kept thinking of Quin’s weird response to knowing she’d had his poster on her wall, and his response wasn’t weird now. She got it. Being treated as a hero was peculiar, especially when at home she’d become just normal old Cress Kennedy again.

  The team were spread out by the time Cress got around to her family. Hugging Dad first, she held on, a little unsure how he might have viewed her game. ‘You made me proud.’ His words were gruff and whispered with intensity against her ear. She swallowed and blinked, grabbing him tighter. Then she grinned as the hug released.

  ‘That girl was good.’

  Dad nodded. ‘You were as good.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘She got an extra goal on me. I couldn’t get away from her to get even.’

  Tris hugged her next. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I was surprised how many other girls were good players. I mean, usually there’s a couple of really good players in your team and the rest are okay at best. But both these teams had lots of good players. And you stepped up, Cress. Don’t beat yourself up.’ It was a big accolade from Tris, who generally thought women’s teams were subpar and boring to watch.

  Ollie smacked Tris out of the way. ‘Don’t listen to him. You were brilliant. Better than I’ve ever seen you play.’ His hug was hard as if he thought she needed his strength. And after that game, she could do with it.

  Gar and Damo echoed Ollie’s words and their hugs were equally as strong.

  Quin held back, but finally, he leaned across to hug her across the fence. ‘You were amazing, Watercress. Did us proud.’ His words were breathless, spoken softly right into her ear, and rang with sincerity.

  ‘Thanks.’ She had to blink back tears. His appraisal meant so much.

  She leaned against the fence and then caught the movement of a kid waving at her, a little way along. Behind him were her Harbour Bridge ladies, waving madly with the hugest smiles on their faces, cheeks bright red. She waved to them and spun back to Quin. ‘Did you see?’

  His laughter, along with her family’s, was … odd. ‘I went and chatted to them,’ Quin said. ‘Then they came and met everyone. They’ve been flirting with your dad.’ His wink and huge grin made Cress laugh.

  She looked across with her eyes wide. ‘Dad?’

  ‘Hey, they’re your friends. I was just being polite.’

  Cress laughed as her brothers began whistling and jostling amongst themselves. ‘Sorry guys, I better keep moving. Don’t wait for me after. I think we’re on the bus and out of here. I wish I could have spent some time with you. It seems such a waste for you to come down—’

  Dad wagged a finger. ‘Like we’d miss your first game in the national competition. It was an honour to be here.’ He
grinned. ‘Now get going. And be nice to your friends.’

  She waved as she moved on, and continued walking around the ground talking to kids, having photos taken, and chatting to teammates. Her Harbour Bridge ladies were sweet, and fun, and buzzing as much as the kids were. It was quite a phenomenal experience and Cress soaked up every moment of it.

  Chapter 17

  ‘Cressida! Listen to me.’ Quin didn’t like the way he sounded, so dictatorial, but he was worried. She’d been home a day and although he hadn’t been with her throughout, he knew she’d pushed herself at training and at whichever jobs she’d tackled today. She was pale beneath her tan, and there was no spring in her step. Her shoulders were slumped and she could hardly keep her eyes open, and it wasn’t yet seven pm. If she kept this up, it was going to hurt her. Badly. He had to get through to her. Now.

  Reluctantly, she sat on the couch. The clench of her jaw, the slant of her head, and the fire in her gaze through hooded eyes gave away how annoyed she was at his tone.

  ‘Did you leave anything in the tank after last week’s game?’

  The exhale was slow and bored, but the slight rumble in her throat let him know he was playing with fire by asking the question. He figured it was the only way she was going to realise that she’d done her best, used all her energy reserves, and this week needed to recharge, not train harder.

  ‘Of course I didn’t.’

  ‘When your car is low on petrol, what do you do?’

  She rolled her eyes. ‘Fill it up.’

  ‘So pushing an empty car isn’t the smart thing to do.’ Her lip curled, her nose twitched, and her eyes blazed at him. She thought him an idiot. However, he knew she still hadn’t worked it out yet. She was still smarting after the loss and the tough game. When she worked it out, she’d sag, not fight. Or at least, that’s what he was waiting for. Maybe he was employing the wrong tactics.