Paula Xiberras
• TT has giveaway copies of ‘Nick’s fabulous footy cards’. As usual, First in, Best dressed!
Last week I spoke to author Greg Fish about his book ‘Nick’s fabulous footy cards’. Greg tells me he loves Tasmania especially Cradle Mountain and beautiful Strahan saying Tasmania is very ‘picturesque’ but unfortunately he doesn’t get here that often.
‘Nick’s fabulous footy card’s’ has been five years in the writing and was initially prompted by a visit to the beach and his musing on writing something in the vein of Roald Dahl. Later when he was between jobs, Greg set down to the task of writing.
Nick was able to ‘pinch’, in the nicest possible way, his protagonist from his sister because the character of Nick in the book is named for his own nephew. Greg also thanks his nephew for naming the footy team in the book the ‘Whoppas’. Greg thinks this ‘genius’ idea for the name of the football team is because of Nick’s liking of McDonalds!
The book centres on the story of Nick, an up and coming player who is set back in his football career by an accident. After recovery Nick finds frustratingly that he no longer possesses the skills he once had and he is struggling on the football field. Greg hopes to encourage young people in football and any other areas of work or sport that you can overcome setbacks like injury which may mean adapting to the new circumstances.
Nick visits his shop owner uncle, who attempts to help Nick with the aid of a little bit of magic. He gives Nick a strange set of footy cards and album and tells him to put the cards in the album and leave it open in his bedroom when he goes to sleep.
What happens next is a mixture of Lilliputian proportions. The ‘magic’ works and Nick goes on to get some coaching tips from some professional footballers on how to adapt his play and once again be successful. There is of course the mandatory character, in this case, the aptly named footballer ‘Doolittle’, that is there to feed Nick’s insecurities and encourage his lack of confidence.
Greg does say that the metaphorical larger than life characters in the novel, ironically opposed to their ‘small’ physiques were inspired by the ‘superhero’ players such as Buddy Franklin, Dermot Brereton and Johnny ‘the rat’ Platten of the Hawthorn football team who lent themselves to cartoon/super heroics.
Some of the hints the players give Nick to improve his game are to use his body imaginatively to manoeuvre the ball and there are lessons on the very important but basic aspect of ‘reading the game’.
The ultimate message of the book is that we must hold on to our dreams and despite setbacks they may still be realised with confidence, persistence and if necessary adapting and taking an alternative approach.
