Instead of going straight over the heads of the Comets players like everyone was expecting, it curved to the right and into the hands of Corey, who had leapt through the air and caught the ball with the tips of his fingers.
A perfect banana kick.
‘Sorry, boys,’ said Junior, showing his empty hands to the two Comets players who had tackled him.
They both turned to see Corey with the ball, racing away down the sideline. Junior had pulled off a magic trick, after all. Corey scored in the corner, and the Ravens fans erupted. The team rushed over and jumped on Corey. Then they turned around and charged at Junior.
‘Pick him up!’ someone cried, and the team tried to get Junior up on their shoulders.
‘Not going to happen,’ said Junior. But they did manage to get his feet a little off the ground before he collapsed on top of them.
‘Hey, get off me!’ Blake yelled from the bottom of the pile of tangled bodies, and the rest of the team laughed.
Liam’s goal conversion was unsuccessful, but when the whistle blew it didn’t matter. The Ravens had won.
‘Well done, Junior,’ said Coach Steve. ‘You really worked some magic out there today.’
‘That’s why we call him Mr Magic,’ said Tai.
‘I thought it was Cannonball?’ said Coach.
Tai shook his head. ‘Coach, keep up.’
‘But . . .’ began Coach. Then Tai and Junior cracked up, and he realised he’d been had. ‘Hey, what’s going on over there?’ Coach pointed at Mama Taafuli. She was busy handing a stack of plastic containers to Billy.
‘. . . and this is my palusami that you liked and this one has the poi, Junior’s favourite. And here’s some more umu-cooked pork. Just a thank-you for everything you’ve done for Junior,’ said Mama Taafuli.
‘Um, thank you,’ said a surprised but grateful Billy.
‘Hey, Mrs Taafuli, when can I sample some of your cooking?’ called Coach Steve.
‘This one here is still skinny,’ said Mama Taafuli, pointing at Billy. ‘Looks to me like you sampled too many dishes already.’
The surrounding crowd of players and family laughed at this, and Coach Steve shook his head.
‘What is this, Pick-on-Coach-Steve Day?’ he said.
‘Just jokes, Coach,’ said Tai. ‘Don’t be so serious.’
Junior laughed and looked around at his family and his team. Finally, things felt right. He didn’t have to be The Big Kid or even Cannonball. He was Junior Taafuli. He could rap and he could play footy, and no matter what anyone said, Junior knew he had a big future ahead of him.
‘Hey, is anyone else hungry?’ asked Tai. ‘Maybe we should order a pizza.’
Coach Steve sighed. ‘Unbelievable.’
It was going to be a very long season.
AGE: 10
WEIGHT: 59 kg
HEIGHT: 160 cm
POSITION: Prop Forward
Junior is the youngest player on the team, and he is also the biggest. His tackle-busting line breaks have earned him the nickname Cannonball. But don’t be fooled by his size. This forward has some pretty handy ball skills and a tricky little flick pass, too. Junior can win a game almost single-handedly, but prefers to throw the ball around with his teammates and rely on his skill, rather than his size. When he’s not breaking tackles, this unlikely rapper is busting rhymes. Word!
AGE: 10
WEIGHT: 42 kg
HEIGHT: 145 cm
POSITION: Winger
An inexperienced but speedy player, what Josh lacks in confidence and size, he makes up for in heart. Josh is a great support player and, given a chance, he will tear away down the sideline. Expect lots of points from this galloping winger before the season is over – once he gets his ball-handling under control.
Josh’s interests include football and his fave food is a classic barbecued sausage sandwich – don’t forget the tomato sauce.
AGE: 11
WEIGHT: 45 kg
HEIGHT: 152 cm
POSITION: Centre
Corey’s motormouth may get him into a bit of trouble with his teammates, but this fiery centre is the team’s speed demon. Corey is a deadset try machine with a killer sidestep, although he does have a tendency to go ‘one out’ a little too often.
Besides playing footy, Corey helps his mum make ends meet by delivering Crazee Bargains catalogues. He’s pretty handy on a skateboard as well.
AGE: 10
WEIGHT: 41 kg
HEIGHT: 147 cm
POSITION: Reserve
Ravi is super-smart and can rattle off any footy statistic or piece of trivia about the game you can throw at him. Just don’t throw him the football – his skills are a little on the under-developed side. But with a little confidence and coaching, Ravi’s natural intelligence and enthusiasm for footy may convert to points on the board before the season ends.
Ravi is a self-confessed maths geek and prides himself on knowing more footy facts than a TV commentary team.
AGE: 11
WEIGHT: 38 kg
HEIGHT: 140 cm
POSITION: Halfback and Team Captain
He might be the team’s smallest player but this pocket rocket half is the Ravens’ engine. Without Liam calling the plays and driving his teammates forward, the Ravens would get nowhere. His lightning reflexes and natural instinct for the game make Liam the Ravens’ MVP – most valuable player.
Liam’s interests include footy, footy and more footy.
Healthy Eating
Eating the right food will not only benefit your health, it can also help to improve your fitness and skill level. For sports stars, and those starting out in sport, a nutritious, well-balanced diet can boost your performance and aid with recovery.
Key points
Try to maintain a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables, protein (such as lean meats, fish and eggs) and carbohydrates (such as wholegrain cereals, oats, wholegrain bread and pasta). This will ensure your body receives the right vitamins and minerals for growth and development.
Drink plenty of water when exercising to stay hydrated.
Avoid overeating junk food, such as fried foods, chocolate, chips, cake and other sweets. While they provide energy, they are often high in sugar and low in nutrition.
When you need an energy boost before or during exercise, try to stick to fruit. For example, bananas are high in potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and fibre. They are also a natural source of carbohydrate for when you need a long-lasting shot of energy to keep you firing. As an ambassador for bananas, I’m a big fan of snacking on them when I’m training or before a big game.
The Banana Kick
The banana kick is a punt kick that curves away from the kicker rather than travelling in a straight line. It is a difficult kick to get right but a handy one to know because of its unpredictable ‘banana’ curve. This can fool your opposition and give you an edge when attempting to regather.
Key points
Line up your kick as you normally would to kick straight, holding the ball out as you prepare to kick. Turn the ball on a 45-degree angle so that when your foot strikes the ball it cuts across the side of the ball. Strike the ball hard using the outside of your boot. The ball should curve away from your leg.
You will need to practise this kick a lot to get it right. Try doing this over small distances in the backyard or the park. Have a friend stand in the direction you want to curve the ball. Be patient, and you should soon be kicking bananas all over the park!
1.Fullback: Cameron ‘C.C.’ Cotter
2.Winger: Nick Raco
3.Centre: Blake ‘The Fake’ Vargas
4.Centre: Corey Wilson
5.Winger: Josh Brown
6.Five-Eighth: Tai Nguyen
7.Halfback: Liam McGill
8.Prop Forward: Junior ‘Cannonball�
� Taafuli
9.Hooker: Ahmed ‘Azza’ Azzi
10.Prop Forward: Lucas ‘Poppa’ Popovic
11.Second Row: Matthew ‘Michael’ Miller
12.Second Row: Jackson Miller
13.Lock Forward: Jack Monroe
Reserve: Ravi Rangarajan
Coach: Steve Smith
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Version 1.0
BANANA KICK
Published by Random House Australia 2014
Copyright © Random House Australia 2014
The moral right of the author and the illustrator has been asserted.
A Random House Australia book
Published by Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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Addresses for companies within the Random House Group can be found at http://www.randomhouse.com.au/about/contacts.aspx
First published by Random House Australia in 2014
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Author: Loughlin, Patrick.
Title: Banana Kick / Patrick Loughlin, with contributions from Billy Slater;
Illustrated by Nahum Ziersch.
ISBN: 9780857982674 (epub)
Series: Billy Slater; 2.
Target Audience: For primary school age.
Subjects: Rugby League football – Juvenile fiction.
Rugby League football players – Juvenile fiction.
Other authors/Contributors: Slater, Billy; Ziersch, Nahum, illustrator.
Dewey Number: A823.4
Illustration and design by Nahum Ziersch
Typesetting and eBook production by Midland Typesetters, Australia
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