Deadly, Unna?

Blacky wakes up and becomes incredibly nervous when he realizes today is the day of the big game. He wonders why he’s putting himself through so much stress when he doesn’t even have to play football. Arks would say that one plays football for the glory of the sport, but Blacky doesn’t feel glorious.

Mum has made a large breakfast for Blacky, but he’s too anxious to eat. He says he will go lie down for a while. His mother reminds him that they have to be early to the game. Blacky goes and lies down on the couch. His siblings, excited for the game, run around him. They all crowd into the car to go to the game. The old man is still asleep from coming home late the night before, but Mum assures Blacky he will be coming later.

The grand final is in another town called Wangaroo, because this town has a nicer football field. This also means that the opposing team has the hometown advantage. The family arrives early to the field. Team-man suggests that he and Blacky play a while to warm up. On the first kick, Blacky successfully scores a goal. He decides he should quit while he’s ahead, so he doesn’t run out of good kicks before the big game. He explains to Team-man that football is all about probability, and he must save his good chances for the actual game.

People from the town begin to arrive. Pickles’s parents, Shirl and Mick, begin to grill, smoke, and drink. Blacky notes how the couple looks cleaner than usual, but still worn out and frail. Arks arrives with the Point players. Blacky worries that he doesn’t see Dumby in Arks’s car. Clemboy tells him Dumby is arriving with his family.

Dumby’s family arrives and parks far away from the townspeople. Blacky walks past the opposing team’s cars alone to meet Dumby. Dumby looks handsome as usual and is sitting with his younger sister, Clarence. Blacky realizes he’s seen Clarence before because she plays netball with his sisters. He remembers Clarence because she is such a good player. Blacky also meets Dumby’s father, Tommy, who is as stylishly dressed as his son, and Dumby’s uncle, Sid.

Arks calls the players together. Clarence wishes Dumby and Blacky good luck and Blacky blushes. As the team gathers around, Blacky sees other players’ fathers but not his own. Blacky and Dumby sit together to watch the first game of the day. Thumper walks by and everyone on the team remarks how big he is. Dumby calls out to Thumper, despite Blacky’s protests, and smiles at him, saying, “Best team win, unna.” Blacky thinks this is typical of Dumby’s behavior, doing something reckless just for the sake of recklessness.

The team goes to the locker room and Blacky realizes that all his teammates, even Dumby, are nervous. Arks is the most anxious. He writes plays across the blackboard, but Blacky knows the only strategy Arks has is to go directly down the field. On the wall of the locker room, Blacky sees a sign that reads: “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Blacky’s father is always talking about how the world is made of people who are either winners or losers.

Arks gives the team a pep talk, saying how the whole town is there to support them and the team won’t let the fans down. He says this isn’t just about a game. Blacky wonders if winning really matters, since no matter what happens, his town will still be rundown and poor and his father will still think he’s a coward. Blacky knows, however, that for Arks this game means more than just football. Arks tells them to play for their team, their town, and for glory, because glory can never be taken away. Even Blacky begins to feel excited and hopeful after the pep talk.

Arks reminds them to play the game straight down the middle of the field, rather than wasting time on the sides. The teammates come together and egg each other on before going out onto the field. Blacky feels swept away by something bigger and more powerful than himself.

The game begins. Blacky sees Thumper and feels sorry for him, because Blacky feels so confident in that moment. Blacky runs toward the ball and jumps, believing that he has outplayed Thumper, who is now nowhere to be found. Then Thumper throws Blacky to the ground and steals the ball, scoring the first goal. Blacky loses all his newfound optimism as the opposing team scores again.

By the end of the first quarter, the team feels completely hopeless, and Blacky knows this is his fault because he is the first ruck. His younger sister, Jenny, comes onto the field to talk to him. Jenny tells him that their mother’s advice is for him to run at the ball from the side and then jump later than Thumper. Blacky follows this advice and his team begins to score, because his mom is a genius at football. With the help of Dumby and Mark, the teams are tied by the end of the third quarter.

With only a few minutes left in the game, the teams are still tied. Mark kicks the ball too far and the Wangaroo players are about to take possession. Then Dumby, running fast, climbs over the other players. He jumps higher than anyone Blacky has ever seen and catches the ball. All the spectators, even the Wangaroo fans, cheer. Everyone waits for Dumby, the best kicker on the team, to score the winning goal. But instead, he passes the ball to Clemboy. Arks cusses at Dumby. Clemboy kicks the ball and scores only one point, meaning that the game is won only if the team can stop the Wangaroo team from scoring another goal.

Thumper catches the ball and Blacky knows he is the only one who can stop Thumper from scoring. Blacky sees the gigantic Thumper barreling towards him. He thinks about how he shouldn’t get himself killed over a stupid football game. He plans to do his special Thumper tackle, where he won’t actually stop Thumper but also won’t look like a coward. He hears Shirl screaming for him to stop Thumper and Arks begging him to win. Then the field goes silent. Thumper is almost there.

Blacky looks toward the beer tent but doesn’t see his father. Blacky steps out of Thumper’s way, but at the last second, Thumper unexpectedly turns. The boys collide and Blacky is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to find Mum, Team-man, and Arks standing around him. They tell him that his tackle slowed Thumper down enough so he couldn’t score until after the final siren, meaning that Blacky’s team won. Suffering from a concussion, Blacky passes out again.