Specky Magee by Felice Arena

Author:Felice Arena
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

14 MAGNIFICENT MCG

It dawned on Specky that the last time he had visited the hallowed home of Aussie Rules—the Melbourne Cricket Ground—was at least a couple of years ago, and that time he had also been with Danny Castelino and his family.

‘Okay, okay, settle down!’ ordered Danny’s father from behind the steering wheel.

Danny and Robbo were getting a little out of hand in the back seat, belting out the anthems of their footy teams at passing traffic. Danny’s younger brother, Phillip, sat in the front passenger seat and was giggling at his brother’s antics. Specky smiled. He loved hanging out with Danny and his big Italian family. They were all die-hard Collingwood supporters—actually, they were avid fans of most sports.

Specky remembered staying overnight at Danny’s place one time and they hadn’t gone to bed until five in the morning—Danny and his family were all up watching the World Cup Soccer, telecast live from overseas. He had so much fun watching Danny’s dad, uncles and cousins jumping up and down around the lounge room every time Italy kicked a goal. It was certainly a different world from his family. This made him wonder about his biological dad again.

Dad and I would never stay up all night and watch a sporting event together, but I bet my other dad would, Specky mused.

Danny’s father pulled into the parking lot of the MCG. They all hopped out and joined the flocks of fans who were spilling out from the Richmond train station across the road. Specky stared in awe at the giant stadium as he and his friends made their way towards the AFL members’ entrance gates. Seeing this larger-than-life national landmark sent a tingle all the way down Specky’s spine.

‘One day I’ll play here,’ he promised himself, under his breath.

Danny’s father generously paid for Robbo’s and Specky’s tickets, and they all excitedly clicked their way through the turnstiles. Once inside, Specky followed Robbo, Danny, and Danny’s brother and father through the vast concrete hallway. There was an air of excitement brewing as fans decked out in their team’s colours dodged and passed one another on the way to their seats. Specky could hear a distant roar from inside the ground—it was the crowd that arrived earlier in the day, cheering during the last few minutes of the reserves’ match.

‘There it is,’ said Danny proudly, as he and the others stood at the top of the aisle facing the immaculate green turf before them.

Specky grinned. ‘Wow! I forgot how big it was,’ he gasped, as he and the others made their way down to the front-row seats, close to the boundary line.

It was a gloriously sunny day, with just a hint of a winter breeze sweeping over the city side of the stadium—perfect for footy.

‘Hey, about time you made it. I couldn’t hold these seats any longer.’ It was Danny’s Uncle Joe and other members of the Castellino family. Specky edged his way in behind his friends as he and Robbo were introduced to everyone.

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