Pushed to the Limit by Israel Folau

Author:Israel Folau
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Australia
Published: 2015-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

Daniel noticed Adam shaking his head in his direction, and Sione running over from the wing.

‘It’s all right,’ Sione told everyone, ‘we’ll get the ball back. It’s only five points.’

Daniel knew Sione was trying to defend him, but he wasn’t used to having his performance criticised. He didn’t like being the one that the others pointed their fingers at, the one everyone blamed for their team losing.

The local team’s kicker missed the conversion kick from straight in front, but it did nothing to dampen their spirits. They were still chuffed about the try.

I could’ve made that kick in my sleep, Daniel thought, gritting his teeth. This is a hopeless team and they’re winning. He undid his headgear and threw it on the ground so hard it bounced, then stormed off the field.

‘Daniel!’ Izzy called. ‘Jeremy, put Derek on,’ he directed before running after Daniel. When Izzy finally caught up to him, he placed a hand on his back. ‘Daniel, are you okay?’ he asked. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I can’t do this,’ Daniel shouted. He ran his hands through his hair, fighting the urge to cry.

‘Do what, Daniel? What can’t you do?’

‘This! How are you supposed to help them to have fun without throwing the match? I want them to have fun but it feels so wrong to play badly on purpose!’

Izzy sighed. ‘You’re a good kid, Daniel. I wish everyone had your passion to do well and to look out for others.’

Daniel took a few slow, calming breaths to help him get his words out. ‘But what am I supposed to do? This feels like the opposite of what I should be doing.’

‘You’re allowed to win,’ Izzy said. ‘It’s just how you win. Play hard, do your regular thing.’

‘Really?’ Daniel said.

‘Of course,’ Izzy answered, handing Daniel his headgear. ‘You just have to remember that these boys aren’t as experienced as you, and perhaps laughing in their face isn’t the most encouraging thing to do after scoring a try. They need to be guided through how to play and what the best choice to make in each situation might be, but they don’t need to be packed in cottonwool.’

Daniel nodded, relieved.

Izzy bent down so he was face to face with Daniel. ‘I don’t only want them to have fun, I want everyone to have fun whether they win or lose. For them, this is about learning the game. For us, it’s about playing with respect for our opponents, whoever they are.’

‘Okay,’ Daniel said softly, ‘I get it now.’

Izzy smiled. ‘Take a couple of minutes off, then go back out there and see how it feels, all right?’ He jogged back onto the field to continue his refereeing duties.

Daniel sat down where the halfway line connected with the touchline. Directly opposite him, sitting in the same place on the other side of the field, were four other reserves plus Tom, Mary and Jeremy.

He sat and watched the game for a while, conflicting emotions washing over him. Why does playing sport have to be so complicated? he wondered.

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