"Stop playing with your nuts son. You'll get them full of hairs",
Said SNL netball's most famous coach to his one and only heir.
"Pa... tell me another story...how the Scampers won the cup"
"Another one - there is only one", he said, lifting Junior up.
"But you tell it so well", Sean Jr said with a twinkle in his eye.
He has my wiley charm thought Coach, of that I cannot lie.
Coach Sean Shortt (Shortty) was full of pride - he gave his tail a twirl,
i'm really glad we had a boy though I'd have been happy with a girl.
He cleared his throat, "we'd reached the Finals in the year of ' 78,
Folks said it was 'cause I was chief but the team that year was great!
With Sammy Strain and Sereena Skylar; best Goal Attacks I ever saw
And Skittles Sloan - Wing Defence - what she couldn't do with a ball...!"
"Oh Dad! Fast forward to quarter 4 - the most exciting part !!"
Sean Jr was tired from school that day - Bless his little squirrel heart.
"Well it was even Stevens" Coach continued "only seconds on the clock.
I thought I'd never see the end my heart ticked with every tock."
"ShingleWood Sneakers were in terrific form - they hadn't yet been beat
But we played them at their own game and we really brought the heat.
Man marking and super fitness was the key to my strategy
Fair play as well but I fought for every single foul and penalty."
"Their main man was super tall - long tail - wore a medical mask,
For fear of seeming obtuse, I thought it prudent not to ask.
He never missed, this big GA - kept scoring goal after goal after goal.
I never seen the likes of him or his skills, son - Upon my soul!"
"His crowning moment a penalty - he surely couldn't miss, I'd bet.
He didn't!! And our hearts all sank like the ball, clean through the net.
Then they Gatoraded their coach but most of the liquid went the hero's way
Revealing a painted tail - a scandal!! - whispered about still, to this day."
"A raccoon ringer! - flown from the States, with a stripey lengthy tail -
To deceive the whole of our sainted league but their wicked plan had failed.
They were disqualified - to us, the cup - I got Freedom of the Wood.
And though we ne'er won again - those memories still feel good."
Shortty gave the lad a loving look - bed time was fast approaching
- Stories have to end some time; so with Life and so with coaching -
"And what did we learn, my only son, on that fateful glorious day -
Apart from the obvious that squirrel tails arent monochrome, they're gray."
Junior huffed a pretend sigh because he really loved this tradition
And with a proper unpretend yawn he said without sedition,
"The moral of the story is to strive through thick and thin,
No Sir, winners never cheat - and cheaters never win !!"
...and so to bed...
Previously posted on another site by me.