Banana Kick

by Patrick Loughlin

  ‘No, we haven’t,’ said Tai.

  ‘I didn’t ask you, did I?’ said Coach. ‘Now, make like a jacket and zip it.’

  ‘Huh?’ Tai said with a bewildered look.

  Coach made a ‘zipping’ motion across his mouth and pointed at Tai, who finally got the point. ‘Where was I?’ said Coach.

  ‘Healthy Snack Challenge,’ said Tai.

  ‘What did I just say?’ Coach Steve shook his head in disbelief, making a few of the boys giggle. ‘Anyway, the Healthy Snack Challenge . . . I’m going to let Billy tell you about it.’

  ‘Thanks, Steve.’ Billy stepped forward. ‘Well, guys, the results were very interesting,’ said Billy, a mysterious grin spreading across his face.

  Junior sat at the back of the group. He hadn’t said anything about bumping into him at the beach, but Billy had given him a friendly wink at one point.

  ‘Okay,’ said Billy. ‘You all did really well in making better choices when it came to snacks. Most of you were able to ditch the junk food for healthier options. The trick is to do that every week.’

  ‘You want us to do that every week?’ moaned Jackson.

  ‘I want you to try. Listen, fellas, there’s nothing wrong with having an occasional treat now and then, but it’s much better for you to avoid consuming too much sugar and salt every day,’ explained Billy. ‘For example, instead of eating packets of chips, Ahmed ate cucumber sticks and hommus.’

  ‘I’m Lebanese. We always eat cucumbers.’ Azza shrugged. ‘Why do you think they call it the Lebanese cucumber?’

  The boys laughed.

  ‘Is anyone else getting hungry?’ said Tai, earning another ‘zip it’ signal from Coach.

  ‘And Junior,’ continued Billy. ‘He ate fruit every day and not one processed snack!’

  ‘His dad works at the fruit markets,’ announced Tai.

  Junior didn’t say anything, but a little wave of pride rippled over him.

  ‘What’s so good about fruit and ­vegetables, anyway?’ said Corey. ‘They grow in dirt.’

  A few of the boys giggled.

  ‘Well, that’s how we know they’re natural,’ said Billy. ‘You could use a few more natural foods in your diet, Corey. The closest you came to eating a vegetable was chips.’

  ‘Now I really am getting hungry,’ said Tai. A little string of drool lined his lips.

  ‘Coach Steve and I are so impressed with the effort you have all made, we’re going to use your snack cards as raffle tickets to win this!’ Billy held up a bulging shopping bag.

  The boys all eyed the bag with ­excitement.

  ‘What is it?’ asked Blake.

  Billy grinned. ‘Let’s find out.’

  Coach Steve took off his Ravens cap and placed all the cards inside. He then gave the cards a swirl with his hand. Billy stuck his hand into the hat and pulled out a single yellow card. The whole team watched anxiously as he unfolded the card and looked at the name.

  ‘And the winner is . . . Junior Taafuli,’ Billy announced proudly.

  ‘No way,’ said Corey.

  ‘Yes way,’ said Billy. ‘Get up here and collect your prize, Junior.’

  The youngest and biggest member of the team stood up, his face frozen in surprise. He made his way up to Billy with a giant smile on his face while the team waited anxiously to see what was in the bag.

  ‘Here you go, mate,’ said Billy, passing the shopping bag to Junior.

  ‘Hurry up and open it!’ yelled C. C.

  ‘Yeah, we want to see what it is!’ squealed Blake.

  Junior opened the bag and pulled out a football. But the whole team could see it wasn’t just an ordinary football.

  ‘It’s signed by the whole Australian squad,’ said Billy.

  Junior looked down at the ball in his hands and the black squiggles of ink covering it. There were so many famous names he didn’t know where to start.

  ‘Enjoy,’ said Billy. ‘And keep eating healthy.’

  The whole team clapped, and Junior couldn’t help smiling. He couldn’t wait to get home and show his family.

  ‘All right, boys, that’s all for today,’ said Coach. ‘Don’t forget, nine o’clock Saturday morning at Craxton Oval.’

  ‘Give us a look,’ said Corey, as the boys moved off to the car park.

  Junior hesitated. He didn’t trust the Ravens centre, but he didn’t want to seem spoiled either. He reluctantly handed the ball to Corey.

  ‘Pretty cool,’ said Corey. ‘I can’t believe you won this in a dumb raffle. They should give it to the best player in the team, not the biggest.’

  Junior could suddenly feel the anger building up in him like hot lava rising to the surface. He was Mount Taafuli and he was ready to explode. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he asked.

  ‘Look, no offence, but you only play well because you’re bigger than everyone else. It’s not like you’ve got any real skill.’

  ‘You’re . . .’ The lava was in Junior’s throat now, but he couldn’t get the words out.

  ‘What?’ said Corey. ‘I’m just being honest.’

  Junior stared at Corey, and Corey stared right back.

  Finally, Junior broke the silence. ‘You’re wrong. Take it back,’ he said through gritted teeth.

  ‘Why? What are you going to do, Junior?’ teased Corey.

  Junior’s face tightened and his hands balled into fists. He didn’t want to do this but what choice did he have? He had to stand up for himself. He moved in closer to Corey. Corey stood there defiantly, tossing Junior’s new football in his hands.

  ‘Just you and me, big boy. Make your move,’ said Corey.

  Blake, who was standing on the hill waiting for his ride, noticed the stand-off and jumped into action. ‘Fight! Fight! Junior and Corey are going to fight!’

  That was enough to send the rest of the boys racing back down to the field.

  Corey and Junior were standing in a sea of white from the floodlight overhead. Suddenly, they were surrounded by half-a-dozen boys.

  ‘What are you waiting for?’ taunted Corey.

  Junior closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  ‘Thought so. You’re just a big marshmallow – SOFT.’

  Junior cut loose. ‘I’m fat.’

  ‘What?’ Corey’s forehead creased in confusion.

  ‘I said I’m fat,

  like a Cheshire cat

  with riddles and rhymes. Can you deal with that?

  I’m BIG

  as a rocket ship.

  I’m blasting to the moon. You’re going nowhere quick.

  I’m E-NOR-MUS. I’m a super-sized sun.

  You’re a tiny little planet OR-BIT-ING my bum.

  Yeah, you’re skinny on manners and you’re light on respect.

  I got news for you, boy, you’re gonna hit the deck

  when you turn around

  and watch me claim the crown,

  like Humpty on that wall, you know you’re gonna fall down.

  ’Cause I’m Poly-born and I’m Poly-proud,

  and I’m not afraid to shout it out loud.

  I’m a Samoan-at-LARGE and I’m here to stay.

  So shut your mouth, there’s nothin’ left to say.

  Word!’

  Corey was gobsmacked. The rest of the boys burst into applause, whistling and cheering. Junior had no idea where it had come from, and he didn’t care. It felt amazing. He would never have been able to say that to Corey or anyone else before, but he could rap it.

  ‘That was . . .’ began Corey.

  ‘AWESOME!’ said Tai.

  ‘Weird,’ Corey said finally. ‘I’m going home . . . to get away from you losers,’ he said softly and slinked off into the darkness.

  ‘I guess we’ll just add that to your grow
ing list of talents, Junior,’ said Coach Steve.

  Junior turned around to see Coach and Billy standing behind him.

  ‘For a second there I thought I was going to have to break up a fight, but I wasn’t about to get caught up in a rap battle,’ Coach said with a laugh.

  Junior’s face went bright red. ‘Sorry, Coach, he just got to me . . .’

  ‘I know, he has that effect sometimes. He needs to work on his people skills. But it was good to see you solving it with words instead of fists. Or was it just WORD?’ joked Coach.

  Billy shook his head at Coach’s attempted humour and winked at Junior. ‘Nice one, mate. I’m more into rock music, but you may have converted me.’

  As the rest of the team headed to the car park, Junior took a final look around the Ravens home ground. He wondered if he’d be able to stand up for himself on Saturday if the opposition teased him, or whether he should just ignore them. He thought about Billy’s words from the picnic: Do what comes naturally. Was it really that simple?

  One way or another he’d find out on Saturday, when the Ravens took on the Comets.

  As it happened, doing what came naturally wasn’t that simple.

  Most of Junior’s family had turned up at the game to watch him, and even Billy Slater was there. But for some reason, Junior was having one of the worst games ever. Whenever he got the ball, he couldn’t decide what to do. Smash through the defence? Off-load? Why can’t I just play naturally?

  It didn’t help when some of the Comets forwards decided to offer their own opinions on his form.

  ‘I thought number ten was supposed to be unstoppable?’ said a large second rower.

  ‘Yeah?’ replied another Comet. ‘Newsflash – we just stopped him!’

  These guys weren’t teasing him about his size, they were making fun of his skills!

  ‘Come on, Junior, fire up!’ Uncle Lasalo called from the sideline.

  But Junior felt like he had nothing left to ignite him. The rest of the Ravens weren’t playing well, either. Their attack was flat and their defence less than impressive. No one seemed to be able to get into second gear. When the half-time whistle blew, the Comets led 20–0.

  To top it off, Tai had rolled his ankle trying to evade a tackle on the last play of the first half. He’d limped off the field and was now sitting in front of Coach Steve with his football boot off and his ankle swollen like a party balloon.

  ‘Well, that did not go to plan,’ said Coach Steve. ‘And I don’t think I can send you back out there on that ankle, Tai,’ he added. ‘Get ready, Ravi. You’re up.’

  Ravi, who was still struggling to tape up his socks without taping his hands to his boots, gulped.

  Coach sighed. ‘I thought we had a good chance today. The Comets haven’t won a game all season, we should be blitzing them.’

  ‘Coach?’ Liam said gently. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but where are the oranges?’

  ‘Where’s the what? Oh.’ Coach looked around at the boys, then back at Liam. ‘I . . . think I forgot the oranges.’

  The boys groaned.

  ‘Sorry, guys,’ said Coach, hanging his head. He’d never, in his five years of coaching, forgotten the half-time oranges.

  ‘We’re down 20–0, I’m out of the game and we don’t have oranges. What else can go wrong?’ said Tai.

  Junior had to agree. But maybe there were worse things than not playing footy – like playing really badly. And in front of your family, too.

  Suddenly, Junior had a brilliant idea.

  ‘Brilliant idea, Junior!’ said Billy.

  Junior looked around at his teammates munching on bananas, and smiled. He had remembered seeing a few boxes of them in the family van. While they weren’t oranges, the team seemed grateful for the much-needed energy boost.

  ‘So, what do you reckon is going wrong out there?’ asked Billy.

  ‘Don’t know,’ said Junior. But that wasn’t quite true. ‘I guess I don’t want to be the human cannonball anymore. I don’t want to be the big kid no one can tackle.’

  ‘Junior, you’re much more than that,’ said Billy. ‘One thing I know about footy is there’s always another way.’

  Junior shrugged.

  ‘All right, boys, up and at ’em!’ said Coach, managing to rustle up some new-found enthusiasm. ‘What about those bananas, hey? Lucky Junior’s dad was here.’

  ‘It sure is different,’ said Tai, flinging his banana peel at Blake. ‘I suppose it’s good to mix it up a bit.’

  ‘Mix it up?’ said Billy. ‘Tai, you’re a genius!’

  ‘Thank you,’ replied Tai, right before his own banana skin landed back on his head.

  Billy smiled. ‘Junior, I think I just had a brilliant idea of my own.’

  ‘I hope this works,’ said Coach Steve.

  ‘Me too,’ Billy said nervously, as he watched the Ravens get into position for the start of the second half.

  The Comets kicked off and the ball sailed straight to C. C., who took it on the full and ran it up to the twenty-metre line before being tackled. Jackson took the next hit up and made a few metres. Then Poppa ran the ball up on the third tackle and made a little more ground before being brought down. Next, Liam made a ­squirreling run through the middle and off-loaded to Junior, who was standing further down the line of attack than usual.

  When the defence saw Junior with the ball, they pounced. But by the time the Comets got to Junior, he no longer had the ball. He’d passed back to Blake, who accelerated through the gap left by the defenders. Blake drew another two in, then passed to Nick Raco, who took off down the sideline in a blur and didn’t stop until he was diving over to score.

  The Ravens fans broke into wild cheers.

  ‘Way to go, Junior!’ called Mele and Ramona from the sideline.

  ‘Well, what do you know,’ said Coach Steve.

  ‘Long way to go yet,’ said Billy, a wide grin now on his face.

  All the team had needed was a little change. Billy had asked Coach Steve to put Ravi into the forwards and Junior to five-eighth. Everyone in the team, including Coach Steve, had been puzzled by Billy’s suggestion. Everyone except for Junior. He’d known exactly what Billy was thinking. And when the Ravens crossed for their second try ten minutes later, Junior knew Billy’s idea was working.

  This time, Junior had made a strong bust from halfway and found Liam coming back on the inside. Junior took on three Comets players before he flick-passed the ball back to Liam. It caught the Comets by surprise. Liam took advantage of this, passing the ball to C. C., who burst through a tackle and found Josh faithfully backing up.

  Josh scored his second try of the season, and suddenly the Ravens were back in it. Junior could finally feel himself relax. He wasn’t worried about what everyone was saying. It was as if the rules had changed. As five-eighth, Junior had to keep the ball on the move. It was just like playing touch footy with his uncles and cousins – as long as he had quick hands and timing, he could leave the acceleration to his speedy ­teammates.

  But it wasn’t just Junior’s ball skills that had lifted the team. The Ravens could smell a win. The team hadn’t just found second gear, they’d hit the turbo button. With ten minutes to go, Jack teamed up with Azza for their own run five metres out from the tryline.

  Azza passed the ball back to Jack, who palmed off two defenders and held up a pass for Poppa. Poppa smashed his way through the line defence and scored straight under the posts. The easy conversion brought the score to 16–18.

  The Ravens were close, but they were running out of time. The clock was ticking down, and the Comets weren’t about to roll over that easily. They did their best to keep the Ravens in their own half for the next five minutes. Even Junior couldn’t bust through the line or get the ball away. The Comets had wised up to his off-loads and were now smothering the ball in their three-man tackle
s.

  With a few minutes to go, the Ravens were feeling desperate. They’d come so close, but it looked like they were going to fall short.

  ‘We need some magic, boys!’ said Liam, his eyes locking on Junior.

  Junior nodded. If he couldn’t break the line with his body or his off-loads, what else was there? He looked to the crowd for assistance. All he saw were the anxious faces of his family. His uncle and aunt, his cousin Fetu, his brothers and sisters – even his mum was gripping his dad’s arm for dear life. ‘Come on, Junior!’ she cheered. ‘You can do it!’

  Then he saw the empty fruit box by his dad’s feet. That’s it! ‘Banana,’ he mumbled.

  ‘What?’ Corey said sharply.

  ‘Banana!’ repeated Junior.

  ‘Yeah, I get it. Your dad gave us bananas,’ said Corey, with more than a hint of sarcasm.

  ‘No . . .’ Junior looked at Corey. There was no glare or death-ray stare, just the look of one teammate to another. A look that said Trust me. ‘Banana,’ he repeated slowly, pointing to the sky.

  ‘Oh,’ said Corey, as Junior’s plan finally dawned on him. ‘Yeah, do it!’

  Junior moved into position behind the pack and Corey headed out wide. ‘I want the last,’ Junior whispered to Liam.

  Liam nodded. ‘All right.’

  The referee signalled the fifth and last and Azza passed the ball from dummy half straight to Liam. The Comets prepared for the kick. Liam always kicked on the last.

  But not this time.

  He sucked in some defenders and tossed the ball behind him to Junior.

  ‘What’s he doing?’ cried Coach Steve.

  Billy shrugged his shoulders.

  Junior glanced over at Corey, who was lining up with him on the far right side of the field. He had done this plenty of times with his brothers in the backyard, and even a few times playing touch with his cousins, but never in a real game.

  Please work, he prayed as two Craxton forwards moved in to tackle him. Junior reversed his grip on the ball, then kicked it. The ball spiralled away. The Comets forwards barrelled into Junior, taking him to the ground. Junior hardly noticed. He was too busy watching the ball.