10

CHERRY RIPES
FOR HARRY
heres a clich that links Italian-bred women to a near-hysterical
need to feed their children, but as I observed Rita Zammit, gripping
her maxi-packet of Cherry Ripes, I knew it was no clich.
God Im nervous, she said, as we paced our way towards the entrance
gate at Otto-Meister Stadion in hringen. I just want to get them to
him. My hands are sweating so much. Ill be melting the chocolate.
Today, for once her child was not Tom, who was breaking into
awkward little runs, struggling to match his mothers breathless quickstepping stride. Today, Ritas child was Harry. Harry of the electrifying
burst of speed. Harry of the class turn. Harry who rescued the hopes
of a nation with that beautiful left boot. Little Harry Zammit. Related
to us all.
It turns out that Harry loves a Cherry Ripe, that mysterious mix of
crisp chocolate coating, shredded coconut and sweet, sweet cherry.
Harrys wife Sheree mentioned it on 3AW before we left, Rita said.
Apparently his favourite foods are Snakes Alive and Cherry Ripe, and
it really frustrates him that he cant get them in England.
Under normal circumstances, Rita might have judged a man harshly
for having Snakes Alive and Cherry Ripe as his favourite foods. Cherry
Ripe! What about a ravioli di ricotta e spinaci, the specialty of her
mother, Angela? Or coniglio farcito con fave in porchetta, rabbit stuffed

139

Tony Wilson pages.indd 139

12/9/06 10:14:24 AM

AUSTRALIA UNITED

with broad beans and roast pork from the Adriatic Coast? Or for an
athlete, the low-fat delights of pollo arrosto all arancia, roast chicken
with citrus?
But as we strode towards the Socceroos training venue, barely
glancing at picturesque little hringen with its Australian-themed
window displays and narrow, medieval charm, it was clear Rita was
not dealing with the normal. If her Harry wanted Cherry Ripes, then
Cherry Ripes he would get, even if she had to trade her esh and blood
to gain access to the training venue. Indeed, as we waited for the team
bus along with a golden throng of happy supporters, the trade of her
rstborn seemed a real possibility.
This one is a disgrace, Rita said, pointing at Tom. He saw me buy
the 20-pack of Cherry Ripes at duty free. He knew they were for Harry.
But what does he say to me when I come back to the hotel in Munich
the other night? Mmmm, that was delicious! I asked him, What was
delicious? He hands me an empty wrapper and says, The Cherry Ripe.
It was bewdiful. And so now I have a 19-pack of Cherry Ripes with this
crappy sticky tape re-seal. I honestly could have killed him.
Even as she relayed the story, there was threat dangling in Ritas
voice. She stared daggers at Tom, who stood tall.
I was hungry, he shrugged. There were plenty there.
If the clich about Italian mothers applies, then it must follow that
Italian-bred boys should eat everything their mothers put in front of
them and more. On that basis, Tom was clearly hoping that what he
was facing was a mothers false anger. It was a false hope, not helped
when I told the Zammits about the case of Viduka and The Opened
Lemonade back in Montevideo.
They might not want to accept an open pack, I said, not helping the
moment. And you both look Italian. They might think youre spies.
Rita shook her head ercely. If Harry wont take the opened pack,
I will seriously throttle this kid, she fumed, gesturing at Tom. On a sheet
of hotel stationery, she jotted a note, explaining Thomass stupidity and
asking Kewell to take the chocolate bars anyway. It nished with a PS:
Please share with the boys.
It wasnt going to be easy to obtain access to the venue. The Socceroos
had already had their open training session, but wed missed it because

140

Tony Wilson pages.indd 140

12/9/06 10:14:24 AM

CHERRY RIPES FOR HARRY

the tour organisers had failed to post a notice in the hotel advising of
the departure time. Our entry ticket to the closed session now had to
be the Cherry Ripes. In the push outside the gate, I asked Greg Baum
of The Age to nd FFA media manager Stuart Hodge, who had earned
the nickname Herr Hodge for his tight-sted control of the interview
schedule, to tell him I was writing a story for The Age. Baum drafted
veteran soccer writer Michael Lynch to the cause and delivered the pretraining pep talk:
Were a bunch of very resourceful individuals. Between you and us,
Im sure we can get the Ripes to Harry. After all, whats more important
here? Banal quotes to journalists, or the Cherry Ripes?

Baum returned with a media pass for me, but Herr Hodge had drawn
the line at allowing a pass for Rita, Tom or the Cherry Ripes. Once
inside, I made a plea, structuring my argument around the melting
point for chocolate and the sweet charms of shredded coconut. Hodge
softened a little, suggesting we wait until the end of training. Hed see
what he could arrange.
The ground had a provincial feel; a small stand, an athletics track
around the outside, and the players laughter rolling across the
impeccably mown pitch. Guus had divided the squad into small groups,
and they were playing international level piggy-in-the-middle. It was
the day after the night before. How good must they feel? Schwarzer
was separated from the rest, practising shot-stopping with Ante Covic
at the near net. Zeljko Kalac was on the sideline, resting what had to be
a shattered ego. I couldnt see Chippereld or Kewell, but gured they
would emerge soon.
I cracked open a yoghurt and shufed over to a gathering of cameras
and microphones. John ONeill, the chief executive of the FFA, was
smiling his way through a press conference. I paused to listen to the man
who, since his employment, had watched the ugly beach break that was
Australian football crest into a beautiful wave.
This means so much, he said. First of all, we pick up additional
prize money. I think seven goes up to nine or ten (million) but more

141

Tony Wilson pages.indd 141

12/9/06 10:14:24 AM

AUSTRALIA UNITED

importantly it means so much for the reputation of the Australian football

team. Every team weve played has been ranked higher than us and
I think weve sent a message out that we are a proper footballing nation.
I dangled my microphone amongst the others, indulging again in my
sports journalist fantasies but, in doing so, made some lax movements
with my yoghurt spoon. As ONeill played hypotheticals, speculating
that with a different result the FFA may have requested a replay on the
basis of Simunics yellow trifecta, I stared at the splash of yoghurt on
the crotch of my green shorts. Wipe, wipe with the hand. Horror. I was
quickly realising that the only thing more socially embarrassing than
a wet patch is a wet patch thats sort of milky white.
John ONeill kept talking and talking. He wanted a ticker-tape
parade to coincide with the Kuwait xture back home in August.
He explained that 1500 tickets would be released for the Italy match at a
to-be-named location in Stuttgart the following day. He spoke about his
own moments of post-match madness, and how the rst telephone call
hed received after the nal whistle had been from the Prime Minister.
I couldnt hear him, so Im screaming, Who? Who? and he says,
Its the Prime Minister.
The media throng laughed.
The bandwagon is a big bandwagon at the moment the more the
merrier. This is a very inclusive sport.
ONeill also mentioned that Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
was in Stuttgart, and had become an overnight football tragic. Again
the gathered football media tittered. Maybe they had a premonition
that, in a similar doorstop with BBC Radio 4 in just a few days, the
Foreign Minister would express this recently developed football tragic
personality in the following way:
I mean soccer is not a popular (or) a particularly well-followed game
in Australia. It is very under-resourced and for our team to get to the
second round of the nals, its an extraordinary achievement. Weve
won the World Cup at cricket and at rugby union and rugby league.
It would be good one day to win it at soccer, but Im not sure Ill live
long enough to see that.
It was this exact line of thought that Johnny Warren had railed against
in his autobiography, Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters. The BBC interviewer,

142

Tony Wilson pages.indd 142

12/9/06 10:14:24 AM

CHERRY RIPES FOR HARRY

Carolyn Quinn, could have mentioned that football-obsessed England

has only won the World Cup once, and that the odds in a 207-horse
race are somewhat longer than in the World Cups to which Downer
referred. Instead she asked whether the Foreign Minister thought there
would be an upsurge of interest in Australia.
I think it will probably drift away a little bit in the short term. In
four years time, if we can get back into the World Cup nals, it will
enjoy a resurgence again.
Its the sort of unhelpful, pessimistic statement that is emblematic of
a government that thought nothing of leaving Socceroo matches out
of televisions anti-siphoning legislation, even World Cup nals and
qualifers, while protecting as a free-to-air xture crickets ridiculous
Mickey Mouse VB Series that raises money for the Packer family each
summer. Its a comment that ignores the existing status of the Asian Cup
and the potential of the A-League. For a man who was happy to bask in
the radiance of Stuttgart, our Foreign Minister didnt take long to piss
on the parade.
Not that I was worrying about that as I listened to the impressively
uent ONeill talk into the great beyond. I was worried about getting
Rita and Tom and the Cherry Ripes into the stadium and eradicating
a geographically inconvenient yoghurt patch before I met the boys.

The breakthrough came completely out of the blue. I was standing

next to Michael Lynch, hearing his idea for dividing grandstands into
a supervised are zone and a non-are zone (We have to decide if we
want that brilliant passion AC Milan have going at San Siro. Do we
want that operatic quality?) when Herr Hodge walked over. Here you
go, he said, handing me two guest passes.
I sprinted over to the gate and passed them across to the Zammits.
Within minutes, a bored media pack were transxed by the sparkling
Cherry Ripe wrappers. As Guus and the boys practised whipping the
ball in from the wings, ABC Radio in Queensland was taking Ritas
story. As I kicked a ball back and forth with some Italian reporters
while they mocked my Australian strine (An-tone-nee-oh is how I say

143

Tony Wilson pages.indd 143

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

AUSTRALIA UNITED

my Italian name, apparently), Rita and her confectionery were being

lmed for the Fox Sports website. All were horried by Toms stealing
of the chocolate bar. All except Tom.
You see? If I hadnt taken the chocolate bar it would be nowhere
near this interesting, he pointed out, with some wisdom.
We sat on the sideline near halfway, sunning our legs, marvelling,
from close quarters, at skills that take on the air of the everyday from
the distance of the stands.
Tom does this drill every week. Ive watched many a bad session
of this, Rita smiled, as Archie Thompson ung a ying foot into the
air and slammed the ball home, past an outstretched Ante Covic, the
third goalkeeper (although, after the previous night, he might well have
had his papers stamped No. 2). This would be one of the better ones
Ive seen.
Guus is a moving statue in the centre of the pitch, distributing
balls, occasionally shouting an instruction or two. Open out! Open
out! Cmon, Bresh! Better than that Josh! He calls Archie offside and
Archie extends his palms, questioning the decision. Surely when the
coach is also the ref, and youre not in the starting 11, the idea is
to accept the decision? But theres plenty of laughter punctuating the
action. Its a relaxed kick-around to work off any soreness from the
night before.
Last ball! Guus booms. When Kennedy blasts about 20 metres over
the top, he cries last ball again. This time Archie buries it, and last ball
it is.

Harrys not at the ground, a reporter said to us, conrming our worst
fears.
A icker of disappointment crossed Ritas brow, but Tom had
an idea.
Hes rooming with Lucas Neill, he said. Well give them to Lucas
to give to Harry.
Rita was relieved. Its nice to give them to a defender. Strikers get so
much of the glory, and defenders have been at the heart of this team.

144

Tony Wilson pages.indd 144

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

CHERRY RIPES FOR HARRY

We settled by the team bus, and as the players led past, Tom
collected signatures on his ticket from the previous night. A true
football connoisseur, he was just as excited about scoring a scribble
from assistant coach Johan Neeskens the former Dutch midelder
who played in two World Cup Finals (1974 and 1978, ve nals
goals) as he was from the likes of Viduka, Cahill, Aloisi, Emerton
and Bresciano.
Lucas Neill dashed off for press interviews, ashing past before Rita
could thrust the reduced pack of Cherry Ripes in his general direction.
When Rita saw Archie Thompson, she made the spontaneous decision
to give them to Archie to pass on. Ritas a Melbourne Victory fan, and
Archie is one of her boys too.
Theyll be lucky to last the bus trip, said Thompson, smiling and
mounting the steps of the bus. It was then I realised that Id failed to get
the all-important photograph for the newspaper. This was a problem.
If the players really were scofng them, Id be stuck without a photo.
I ran over to Herr Hodge to ask him whether he could rescue the Ripes
for a second photo. Sighing, he agreed. He looked down and saw the
yoghurt stain. I was cutting a very impressive gure.
Nevertheless, Herr Hodge retrieved the chocolate bars and they
were available for a second delivery. This time Lucas Neill was the one
to intercept them, timing his moves perfectly as he had all through
the tournament.
Lucas. Youve played so beautifully this tournament. Rita was
gushing as she handed over again the Ripes. There are two things
Harry loves Cherry Ripes and Snakes Alive, and so itd be great if
youd give these to him.
Lucas took the bag, nodded, and thanked Rita. This time I snapped
the photo*, capturing history at the second attempt just as had
happened when General Douglas MacArthur took his famous rst step
onto the beaches of the Philippines towards the end of World War II,
and then did it again for the cameras.
Neill stepped onto the bus. You should all share them, Rita said.
Youre all magnicent. Jesus, Rita was in love.
Later, Lucas Neill would say in a radio interview, The fans were
* Visit geoffslattery.com.au/australiaunited to see this photograph

145

Tony Wilson pages.indd 145

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

AUSTRALIA UNITED

fantastic there was even this mad woman who shoved a packet of
Cherry Ripes at me.
The mad woman had done it. Like Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar
under the Star of Bethlehem, shed made the journey and unburdened
herself of precious cargo. She grinned her mad-woman grin, and began
to celebrate.

We drifted around the Guus press conference as though we belonged,

listening to his charming and slightly misshapen English and the simple
no-nonsense approach that had won him the respect of the players,
press and public alike.
Yes, he said, the situation with the referees and the three yellow cards
was a little more soft to judge because we had landed the result we
needed. No, he didnt feel regret about selecting Kalac over Schwarzer,
because both are good goalies and both had some problems also in
previous games. Yes, he was pleased that an Italian newspaper had run
with the headline Bella Australia, because he liked very much the sort
of football the team was playing. There was rather a bad image when
Australia used to be just the long ball, but now I like very much that
Australia likes to play football, play the modern way of football.
A love for a stylish brand of football is something that David Winner,
the author of Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Football
(Bloomsbury, 2000) identies as a particularly Dutch characteristic.
Holland, under coach Rinus Michels, invented the total football
concept in the early 70s the idea that positions were uid, that
forwards could move back, and that backs could push forward. It was
beautiful football, reliant on exquisite passing and innovative use of
space, and it was team football. Englishman Winner argues that by
geographical necessity the Dutch are efcient users of space, and that
it is evident elsewhere in Dutch society in canal building, architecture
and their need for a solid defence against the invading sea and that freeowing total football was a product of that mentality.
Guus Hiddink was playing for the Dutch club De Graafschap during
the birth days of total football. He regularly states that football should

146

Tony Wilson pages.indd 146

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

CHERRY RIPES FOR HARRY

be played attractively, that a long-ball, hit-and-hope style is detrimental

to the game. Before the 1998 World Cup semi-nal against Brazil in
Marseilles, Hiddink, then coach of Holland, talked about his teams
obligation to play attractively, and even had a dig at the opponent:
Brazil, sadly, is no longer swinging and aming. I see defenders boot the ball
away shamelessly. Holland must never play like that. If we did, people would
murder me, and they would be right to do so. (Brilliant Orange, p149)

On that occasion, the Netherlands lost one of the best matches of the
tournament to Brazil, 4-2 on penalties. Hiddink continued to spruik the
case for attacking, attractive football, but it is possible that semi-nal
defeat pushed him in slightly more defensive directions. The wonderful
feature of Hiddinks South Korean team in 2002, and the Socceroos in
Germany, was the tness of the players and their willingness to work
together. The football wasnt so much beautiful, as disciplined and
cohesive, with enough ability on the park and attack in the game plan to
regularly threaten the goal. Somehow, this roundish, ruddy-faced man
had a magic knack for getting players to enjoy playing together and
enjoy playing to his instructions.
I stood there, sardined in front of him, loving him for doing what he
had done with the team. The rest of the press loved him too. Why do
you have to go to Russia, Guus? a reporter asked. We were all on the
verge of joining in, like a whining primary-school classroom.
Yeah. Why do you have to go to Russia, Guus? We know South
Korea gave you an island, but were not out of ideas. Were certainly
not out of islands. I think weve even excised most of them as part of
the Pacic solution. Theyre barely even ours any more take what you
like. Please, please dont leave us!
Islands were not enough though, especially for a man who already has
one. What Russia has is the billionaire Roman Abramovich, the man who
bought Chelsea for 140 million. Abramovich, a friend of the Yeltsin
family, was a beneciary of the-then Russian presidents ridiculously shortsighted loans for shares (for mates) program in 1995-96, and has made
many billions in the privatisation. To pay his country back, not so much
with money but with mood, the magnate is chasing better football results

147

Tony Wilson pages.indd 147

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

AUSTRALIA UNITED

for the national team. Now he can afford to pay part of Hiddinks US$3
million salary as Russian coach and, if he felt like it, to buy Tasmania.
Guus nally shrugged off the press pack, and marched straight-armed
in the direction of his car. Rita, Tom and I headed him off at the edge
of the running track.
Can we have a photo?
He looked as though he was about to say no, but then without
a word, leaned over to place his head in the valley between two Zammit
heads. They both beamed. Snap.*

The bus departed, as did Guuss chauffeured car, and we left the
hringen stadium, breathing in the diesel exhaust, savouring the last of
the atmosphere however poisonous it might be. Finally, in a circle of
dust, Rita raised her arms in the air and started celebrating, as though it
was she who had just slotted one in the back of the net.
Yes! Yes! I cant believe it!
Stuart Watt, an ABC World Cup reporter living on the barren
scraps of press conference quotes, turned on his recorder. Rita was still
going berserk.
I really hope they eat them now. I hope they really enjoy the Cherry
Ripes. This is 45 years following the game I love, to meet them, to
get close to them. They were so gracious, so polite. I mean for some
people it might be Mick Jagger or Jesus Christ but for me, give me
Tim Cahill and Craig Moore and Archie and Mark Viduka and Guus.
At times like this, it was possible to forget that Rita had been the
second top law student in her year at Melbourne University.
Tears were running down her cheeks. Thomas looked at the ground,
embarrassed in the way that any 16-year-old boy would be. The previous
night hed had to endure her standing on a train seat and screaming, Forza
Australia! for ve minutes. He didnt see the beauty and passion that the
reporter was seeing. He was seeing his mother as a mad woman.
My parents are Italian, Rita raved, and for 45 years Ive loved the
Italian team, but now, Ive discovered my green and gold. On Monday
* Visit geoffslattery.com.au/australiaunited to see this photograph

148

Tony Wilson pages.indd 148

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM

CHERRY RIPES FOR HARRY

Ill be so green and gold. I called my dad back in Fawkner this morning,
and all his friends in Italy are ringing to ask who he will be supporting.
And of course, its Australia. We all love Australia. These boys are
amazing. This is bigger than anything I could have dreamed of. Im just
without words.
She wiped her eyes and looked over at me.
You got me in here today, she said. As of now, were even.
What? I dont owe you a ticket to Rome?
Nope, were even.
I went on about how that was ridiculous and how it was all my
pleasure and how really it was Greg Baum and Herr Hodge who had
made it happen and how of course Id one day deliver on the ticket
to Rome. But none of these statements came up on tape. Isnt that
a shame?

149

Tony Wilson pages.indd 149

12/9/06 10:14:25 AM