Issue 6 2010 - TLS - Victoria University

Footy Dreaming- Chapter Two
by Michael Hyde
The story continues…
Jonah waited for the bus outside the Bakery. It was a cool morning and light rain fell on the town
of Marshall. In the valley, the low clouds that formed a whispering veil of mist slowly lifted. Jonah
pulled up the collar of his bomber jacket to ward off the cold. He was feeling good, full of pancakes
but late as usual. He gazed down the street and saw his Mavericks teammate, Archie Lawson
mooching towards him. Lawson was younger than Jonah but they’d both known each other since
Auskick, played a bit of basketball together and had become friends. Footy friends at least.
Marshall slowly came to life—the supermarket advertising the week’s specials, a couple of
clothes and sporting goods stores, takeaways, the Bluebird Café—and there was his cousin, Alan,
who gave him a wave from the service station as he began work on a car up on the hoist. A mate
of his Dad’s swept the footpath in front of the pub, while someone from the post office placed
advertising boards on the pavement.
A headline from the local paper outside the newsagency caught his eye:
New Season Starts. ‘Talent best in years’, says coach.
‘Nothing like a bit of pressure’, thought Jonah as his mind wandered back to his dream, his
never-ending dream. Archie joined him.
‘Wha’s up’ Jonah gave his routine greeting.
‘Bloody cold, eh’ Archie said, pulling his jacket tightly around him. ‘Go for a run this
morning’
‘Geez, not you too. M’Mum was getting onto me about that this morning as well.’
Archie chuckled. ‘Feeling the pressure, eh mate’
Jonah pointed at the newsagency. ‘Stuff like that doesn’t help much. I just wanna play footy. All
this other stuff I can do without.’
‘G’day Jonah. What’s happening’ Jonah and Archie turned to find a boy who everybody called,
Little Tony.
Jonah glanced at the kid. ‘Nothing much.’
‘Footy season coming up. Heard you might have a chance’
Jonah looked straight ahead as the rain made small pinpricks in the oily puddles on the road. ‘A
chance at what’
‘Making it, of course. Development squad, Bushrangers, the whole bit.’
‘Yeah, well. Maybe. We’ll see, won’t we.’
Tony cast a sideways look at Archie. ‘How d’you reckon you guys’ll go this week’
Archie ignored him. Jonah shrugged—he wished the kid would shut up and he had a feeling
that this chitchat was leading some place he didn’t want to go. There was a small group of kids
who secretly ran a betting book on local and AFL games, making up their own odds and for a few,
starting a costly lifetime habit. The school principal frequently gave stern lectures about ‘illegal
activities’ but the gamblers were never caught. Like the SP bookies from fifty years ago, nobody
wanted to dob them in.
Their leader was a guy called Marcus White but Little Tony was in it up to his ears as well.
Tony started to bite his nails and after a few minutes of silence he said, ‘Fancy a bet on the
game, Jonah’
‘What game are you talkin’ about’
‘The one you’re playing this Saturday. Mavericks and the Kookaburras. Under 15’s.’
‘Nah, sorry mate. I don’t bet on footy. I don’t bet on nothin’. Had an uncle who was a gambler,
big time. He went down the gurgler—lost everything.’
‘Fair enough, Jonah, fair enough’, the kid wheedled and then paused. ‘You reckon you’re gonna
win’
‘You and your gambling mates want some inside information, eh’ Jonah laughed. He liked
keeping this idiot on the hook. He also liked having a reputation as somebody who could play the
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