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dressing sheds, even if he does annoy everybody.
    â€œSee this fella with the big tattoo?” he says, pointing to a picture of a Panthers player.

    â€œYeah?”
    â€œSmash him,” he says.
    â€œSee this fella with the blond hair?” he asks.
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œSmash him,” he says.
    â€œSee this fella with the moustache?” he asks.
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œSmash him as well,” he says.
    â€œSee this fella with the shiny bald head?” he asks.
    â€œYou want me to smash him?” I ask.
    â€œNo you fool,” he says, “That’s the coach.”

Chapter 24
    Lucky Dip
    Mum gives me a call from work saying she’ll be home late.
    â€œHave fun at your first game as ball boy,” she says. “No falcons, I don’t want to hear about you getting hit in the head with a ball.”
    â€œNah, gammin’, I’ll be too quick for that ball, Mum,” I reply.
    Justice and I catch the bus to Broncos Stadium, except this time we’ve planned to arrive two hours early. I need to be Deadly D before I walk into the change room. Justice has given it some thought. You can tell he’s almost as excited about getting me angry as he is about me playing. We go down to our hiding spot under the bridge.
    â€œPut this on,” Justice orders. I do as he says. He wrapsthe blindfold around my head so I can’t see. Then I hear him pull something out from his bag. “No peeking!” he laughs.
    â€œNot again!” I say. “Don’t throw rotten fish at me!”
    â€œNah man, this one is way better than last time,” he says, edging closer to me. “You’re gonna love it.”
    â€œLove what?” I ask.
    â€œThis! But keep your blindfold on, bro.”
    â€œKnock it off, you dropkick,” I answer. “How can I like it if I can’t even see it?”
    â€œTouch it,” he says, laughing mischievously. I carefully stick out my hand and feel something cushion soft, like a doona.
    â€œYeah, so what?” I’m not angry yet. Not even close.
    â€œPush your hand in a bit more. See if you can find the lucky dip.” The last time I had a lucky dip was when Nanna took me to the Mt Isa Show. Something tells me this won’t be the same. As my hands go deeper, the doona (or whatever it is) starts to get warmer. Finally, my fingers reach something soft and squishy.
    â€œI think I found the lucky dip!” I yell. “What is it?”Justice is cackling like a kookaburra. I tear off the blindfold and see my Cowboys doona at my feet. Justice has dropped it and started to run, crying with laughter. And that’s when it hits me. A horrible smell fills my nostrils. When I realise what it is, instinct tells me to check the bottom of my shoes, but they’re clean. It’s my hands and the Cowboys doona that are stinking and covered in brown sludge. A couple of blowflies start buzzing around my head and land on my face. I brush them off and accidentally wipe the stuff on to my nose. Justice is on the ground, almost wetting his pants. If he wasn’t laughing, you’d think he was having a fit.
    â€œStop it man, you’re killing me! Bwahahahahaha!” he laughs.
    â€œWhat is this stuff?” I yell at him. “It smells like poo!” Justice is now rolling around in the dirt, trying hard to breathe between laughs.
    â€œThat’s because it is, bro! I got Fluffy to leave you a present in your doona! Bwahahahahaha!”
    Justice’s words sink in. Not only is my favourite doona covered in doggy doo, so am I. I even have a bit of brownstuff hanging off my nose. My eyes start to see red and my hands begin to shake.
    Aaargh! Look out boys and girls, Deadly D is coming out to play!

Chapter 25
    The Big Day
    The atmosphere is electric. Even though it’s only a trial game, lots of people have turned up to watch us play the Panthers. From the change room, I hear the announcer tell the