CHAPTER FOURTEEN
At three-quarter time Travis has thirty possessions and three goals, but the game is close. Maroubra is hard at it. They play an uncompromising, brutal style, and some of the younger Randwick players are feeling it. An elbow in the back of the head or their big ruckman ‘accidentally’ falls on some of the smaller players after ruck contests. They jumper punch and scrag and the umpire is a wimp. Travis looks up from the three-quarter time huddle, sees Paul at the far end of the ground behind the railing at the back of the goalposts. He is standing near Babus. Both there to watch Travis, but not knowing the connection. The coach finishes his address and Travis draws the group around him, and he grabs the jumper of the Randwick ruckman and screams at him.
‘You protect the sm
