League of His Own Ch. 12

I was sitting in our living room with my mother, my two sisters, my wife, Wendy and Rebecca. A couple of our kids were sitting with us. The rest were either playing in their rooms or keeping themselves otherwise occupied. It was a week after my last game of professional rugby league. I had no intention of reversing my decision. On the television was a replay of my final game. It was the first time that I'd watched it since that day.

"Welcome to Accor Stadium for the 20## Grand Final between the West Sydney Rangers and the Parramatta Eels. The Rangers enter the Grand Final off the back of a miracle run, finishing eighth on the ladder with a win in their last game of the season that secured their position in the finals, before three wins in the Finals Series over Penrith, Melbourne before finally beating Brisbane in last week's Preliminary Final. Parramatta finished second on the table after a magnificent season and enter the Grand Final as firm favourites to win their first Premiership since 1986. Cooper, you've looked at the form and the line-up of both sides. Who is each side relying on and who is going to win?"

"Well, it's quite simple for the Rangers, Vossy. Everything this year has worked through their leader and talisman, Daniel Cole. And I know that every single player wearing that jersey is going to give everything to send him out a winner. As for Parramatta, they're going to rely on the power of their forward pack. Watch their two prop forwards and the amount of work they put in. The Rangers will need to watch their offloads, and also keep an eye on their halfback and his powerful kicking game. The Eels have had more forty-twenties this season than any other side."

"And your winner?"

"The heart says Rangers to send their captain out as a winner. The head says the Eels due to their magnificent form all season."

The first fifteen minutes of the game were dominated by the forwards. I only received the ball to kick during most sets. It was all about field position, gaining metres, and putting the opposition under pressure by kicking deep and making them work hard to even make it to the halfway line.

Then came the breakthrough in the seventeenth minute. I felt myself smiling as Kyla and Kim squeezed a hand of mine each. They'd been at the game and would no doubt remember the moment.

"Rangers are forty metres out. Fourth tackle. Sironen plays the ball. Elias to Cole. He passes... Dummy pass! And Cole is through the gap. Thirty-five... Thirty... Fullback to beat. He chips! Rangers and Eels players run for the ball. Grant collects the ball. Twenty... Ten... Grant scores! Grant scores the first try of the Grand Final! Inspirational from Cole. Grant wasn't caught. Rangers four. Eels nil. What a first try of the Grand Final! Cooper, let's look at the replay..."

"Well, if you freeze the play there, Vossy, you can see Cole's thought process. The fullback had dropped deep for the kick. There was at least twenty metres for him to work with. The fake pass created just enough space for him to slip through, and the chip was perfectly weighted. Perhaps for himself, but Grant has pace to burn..."

"Guess the old legs of Cole couldn't quite get there. But look at the joy on their faces... Cole with the conversion. Taking his time getting the ball set on the tee. Steps back and takes a couple of deep breaths. And he's put the ball through the posts! Rangers are off to a fantastic start. Rangers six. Eels nil. Twenty minutes left to play in the first half."

The last twenty minutes of the first half saw Parramatta work their way back into the game, and in the last ten minutes of the half, they scored two converted tries.

"Rangers are stuck deep in their own half with only a minute to go. They look a little shell-shocked after the Eels' second try. Completely out of the blue..."

"They need halftime now. You can see Cole issuing instructions, trying to gee his teammates up. He wants this win to end his career. But they need the break. Reset and then come back out fresh for the second half."

"The siren sounds and the referee blows his whistle to end the first half. The Rangers players gather in their half of the pitch, and you can see Cole is laying down the law. A sea of nodding heads before the Rangers players run off the field together. Listen to the crowd! Amazing reception."

"Great captaincy there from Cole, Vossy. Given them his thoughts but has them running off as a unit. They're in this together. Their coach will fire them up for the second half. This game isn't over by any stretch of the imagination. Everyone wrote them off even before the start of the Finals Series. Many call them making the Grand Final a miracle. No reason why the miracle can't keep going."

"What did the coach say at halftime?" Kyla asked.

"Nothing unexpected. Told us to stick to the plan. Smother their forwards. Look for gaps. Be creative. Catch them unawares. Parramatta relied on their defence all year. We knew that we'd been caught out by that second try. The first try had been well-earned by them, and we simply hadn't recovered by the time of their second."

After the usual halftime show, I watched us run out onto the field for the second half. I almost smiled as I could see my teammates were all confident. It's all in the body language, the way they were all shouting encouragement. And there was absolutely no fear. Only belief in the cause and our eventual victory.

We didn't start the second half all that well as we gave away a penalty within five minutes that they scored a goal from. That made the score fourteen points to six in favour of Parramatta, but we had thirty-five minutes to play.

The match was played at a frenetic pace. Players on the field never take notice of just how fast everything is moving in the moment. We simply focus on each play. Each tackle. Concentrate. No mistakes. Don't give away stupid penalties. Focus on either defending the line or creating a move that might lead to us scoring a try. Honestly, some games feel like they pass in the blink of an eye.

Fifteen minutes to go and Parramatta still held an eight-point lead. We'd been throwing everything at them, but the Eels defensive line held firm for the time being. But as the minutes ticked down, players began to tire. Mistakes did start to happen. And gaps started to appear every so often.

"Rangers are forty out from their own line. Third tackle. Elias takes the ball, passes to Roach. Great run by Roach! Over the halfway line, two Eels players falling away from the tackle. He's eventually put down thirty-five out from the Eels line. Fourth tackle. Elias to Cole. Cole moves forward, dummies... Cut out pass to Freeman. Freeman passes to Grant. Grant hits the line. Offload! Brasher's through. Past the thirty. Offloads to Hanley. Hanley steps... Ankle tap. He stumbles... And offloads to Pearce. Pearce sprints away and scores. Rangers are back in this. Pearce places the ball between the posts. Eels fourteen. Rangers ten with the kick to come."

"If we pause the replay, you can see that Grant draws in the two players here which creates the space for Brasher. Perfect link-up play there from Rangers. Momentum is behind them now. The Eels still lead, but with the conversion, the Rangers can sense victory."

The minutes ticked by. Cooper was right about one thing. We did have the momentum. Confidence was surging. Each set of six saw us making more metres than the Eels managed in reply. The only thing that was keeping them in the game was their kicking game. No forty-twenties but kicking the ball out of play did give them time to catch their breath and set their defensive line.

"Three minutes left on the clock. Rangers on their own forty. Third tackle. Elias to Sironen who pumps those legs and gets the ball into the Eels half."

"They'll be looking for a two-point field goal, Vossy."

"Pearce with a charging run, hitting the line hard. Parramatta swarm to prevent an offload. Fifth tackle..."

"Cole's in the pocket. Parramatta will have to try and shut him down."

"Elias takes the ball. Passes back to Cole. Forty-two metres out. He hits it. It looks good!"

Silence from the commentators for a couple of seconds as the ball floats through the air.

"That's it! We're all tied up! What a field goal from Daniel Cole! Forty-two metres out with only a couple of minutes left on the clock."

"He possibly had only two minutes left in his career before that kick, Vossy. Now with the scores tied and all the momentum, it seems like the Rangers just won't be denied today."

To be honest, you'd have thought that we'd won the Grand Final with that kick with how we all reacted while the scenes in the grandstands were almost pandemonium. We were later told that the noise coming from the Leagues Club was almost that of a rock concert, the cheering was so loud.

At the end of the eighty minutes, the scores remained locked at fourteen points. That meant extra time. Ten minutes more in each direction. If the scores remained tied after that, then it would be golden point. The first team to score would win the game.

The first half of extra time returned to a tight and tense affair. The short break was just what the Parramatta players needed. Rejuvenated and their desire to keep us scoreless was evident. We kept them pinned in their own half at the same time. The ferocity of the tackles even had me wincing at times. The break between the halves of extra time was only a couple of minutes, time to take on some more fluids, and take on a couple of simple instructions.

It remained tight and tense. Neither side was able to gain an upper hand.

"Four minutes of extra time to be played. Rangers deep in their own end of the field. Fourth tackle. Cole receives the ball from Elias. And kicks! What a kick! Will it make the touchline? Yes! Forty-twenty. Fantastic kick by Daniel Cole. Gives Rangers fantastic field position."

"Mistake there by Parramatta, Vossy. Should have been expecting an early kick at this time of the game. The wingers should have been dropping back to protect the sidelines. This gives the Rangers perfect field position for a field goal."

"Rangers have the ball. Roach takes the first hit-up. Great run by Roach! Fifteen metres out. Elias to Sironen. Another barnstorming run by the second row forward. Ten metres out. Parramatta are throwing their bodies on the line."

"Rangers want a try, Vossy. They want to wrap this up that way."

"Another hit up, this time by Pearce. He's been relentless all game. Five metres out. Fourth tackle. Cole takes the ball. Grubber kick. Into the in goal. Players swarm."

"Knocked on, Vossy. The Parramatta centre fumbled the ball but landed on it to prevent a try."

"Drop out for Parramatta with time winding down. All the momentum is with the Rangers. Listen to the crowd. You can feel them pushing the Rangers to victory."

"Watch the short drop out, Vossy. Parramatta need the ball in hand."

"The Parramatta halfback kicks the ball... It's a short one! Sironen collects the ball and hits... Offload to Cole... Cole steps and pushes... Try! Try to the Rangers! Try to Cole. That's it! The Grand Final's gone. As he looks to exit the code, in his final match, Cole scores and puts Rangers in front. Rangers eighteen. Eels fourteen."

"Unbelievable, Vossy! The drop out was just too far. Sironen takes the ball and hits the line. He stands tall and how he got that ball to Cole, I don't know. Cole charges towards the Parramatta prop and simply says 'Get out of my way' before he crashes over the tryline to put his team in front."

"Look at the Rangers players. They're all in tears. I'm not sure Cole can even see the posts from his reaction. He has two minutes left in his career. His final conversion. From the sideline... He's got it! Cole converts his own try. Rangers twenty. Eels fourteen. Kick-off to come."

"This has to go down as one of the greatest Grand Finals, Vossy. Magnificent performance from the Rangers today, but having come from eighth, after the season they've had..."

"Jack takes the ball and runs towards the Parramatta players. Sixty seconds left. Watch the Rangers players take their time. Slow play the ball. Elias hands to Roach who still hits the line hard. Parramatta struggle to put him down. Forty seconds left. Elias to Pearce. He hits the line and frees his hand, offload to Elias. Elias runs, searches and finds Grant. He hits the line and is tackled. Twenty seconds..."

"They've got it, Vossy. The crowd know it. The players know it."

"Elias to Cole. Cole fakes a kick. Look at the grin on his face! He's tackled. He won't care. Ten seconds. Rangers are going to win. Rangers are going to be crowned Premiers again. The crowd counts down. Five seconds. Cole slowly rises to his feet. The siren sounds. The referee blows his whistle. Rangers are your champions. Rangers have won the Grand Final!"

"What a stellar performance from West Sydney Rangers tonight. They started well, and the tries they conceded were against the run of play. Their performance in the second half was magnificent. Never gave Parramatta a sniff. But as we look at the Rangers players celebrating, we can only look at their halfback and leader. Nothing short of inspirational."

"Let's head down to the field. Melinda has managed to grab hold of someone for us. Melinda?"

"I've managed to nab someone, Vossy. Daniel, your last game in professional rugby league. To score the final try of the Grand Final to seal victory. What are you thinking right now?"

I didn't remember a word of what I said at the time as the emotions were too raw. Not only about my fellow players. But the crowd had been magnificent, and I could see the joy on their faces as we won another title. And this one was completely unexpected. We might have started the season well, but we'd been written off as having little hope by the halfway point, and only managed to scrape into the finals. Teams finishing eighth on the table simply don't win Grand Finals.

"I honestly don't know what to say, Mel. What a way to end a career. I love these guys. They've been magnificent today. Gave it everything for one hundred minutes. Our coach... He made sure we were ready for today. Kept us motivated the entire time. Our fans. They're un-fucking-believable... This win isn't just for us. It's for them. They're with us every single week of the season."

"That last try was something special."

"It all happened so fast. We were expecting the short drop-out. When Siro took the ball, I just knew that I had to back him up. He's always getting his arms free. As soon as I had the ball, I just tucked it and ran forward."

"Straight into their prop forward, who must outweigh you by thirty kilos."

"Guess it's amazing what you can do when you're motivated enough. I'll be honest, the conversion was a struggle. I wasn't just thinking about that. I was thinking about my career. This being my final game. The fact we were on the verge of winning another title."

"I know it's early, but any thoughts when you look back upon your career?"

"I just know I've been a very lucky man, Melinda. To play for such a wonderful club. Been surrounded by fantastic coaches, support staff and players. And as I said, the fans. They've supported me through thick and thin for years. I'll say that I love them as much as they seem to love me."

"Congratulations, Daniel. Go and enjoy the celebrations."

"I will, Melinda. Lastly, to my wife, my mother, sisters and friends, I love you all and see you soon."

During the presentation ceremony, I couldn't help sitting there with my family and smiling as I was awarded my second Clive Churchill Medal as the best player on the field. I made a short speech thanking my teammates as I knew that without them, I would never have had the success that I'd enjoyed on the day and throughout my career.

After the Parramatta players were given their medals, it was time for the Rangers players to receive their rings before we were given the trophy. It was quite the process, and I could see the sheer joy and somewhat relief on the faces of my teammates. I was the last to receive a ring before I was handed the trophy, walking over to stand in front of my teammates before I lifted the trophy into the air. Fireworks behind us erupted as confetti started to rain down on our heads. Champagne was sprayed, lots of hugs. Then we sat down with the trophy and sang the team song loud and proud.

There were the usual interviews with players from both sides. The coaches would be interviewed in the media centre once the celebrations died down. We did the usual lap of honour with the trophy, greeting our fans. And no one missed the moment I was greeted by my wife and family.

Mum eventually switched off the replay as I relaxed back on the couch. "Still riding that wave, sweetie?"

"It's a shame that I retired from rep. footy a couple of years ago as I reckon that on my performance in the Grand Final alone that I would have received a call up."

"Well, I think my husband was magnificent," Kim whispered, kissing my cheek.

"And he certainly got more than one girl over the next couple of nights,' Kyla added, kissing my other cheek.

"Fairly sure most nights ended up as a threesome and more," I stated with humour, "Guess the winner does get the girl, or the girls from time to time."

I knew that retirement would have me reminiscing about my career from time to time. Even while I was playing, I would review the previous games to see where I could make improvements. I had only watched our previous Grand Final victories once or twice. I didn't really need to watch them as every minute of each game seemed to be imprinted in my memory. I could remember almost every play. Every sound. The roar of the crowd. The feeling of the ball in my hands. The way the ball felt as it met my boot as I kicked it.

Although I had plans, I'll admit that I was feeling a little lost in those first weeks after the Grand Final. I knew that I would never return for pre-season training. Never meet up with the boys each day of the week to go through the intensive drills and gym work to keep myself fit and in top condition. Never meet up to travel for a game whether it was a Thursday afternoon or Sunday morning. That part of my life was now over.

But my employment with the West Sydney Rangers wasn't. Just like Billy before me, I may have retired as a professional, but I remained part of the fabric of the club as I was now considered an ambassador of the club and they still wanted me at the ground more often than not. I was also undertaking studies regarding media training as Fox Sports had been in touch with me more than once about possibly being one of their pundits. They were always looking for new blood and new faces. It probably helped that for a rugby league player I could be rather eloquent at times, putting forth my opinions in understandable terms without saying 'Um' and 'Er' every third word.

To be honest, my focus going forward was going to be my family. I had a bunch of kids that I could now focus on. And while my lovers had never felt in second place compared to my footy career, the fact I could now spend even more time at home was a bonus for them. I would keep myself fit and still attend the gym on a daily basis, but that was simply to keep fit. I'd no doubt end up losing at least some of the muscle mass that I'd built up over years of playing.