Rory’s Goal That Wasn’t
Rory scores a goal that no one saw was wrong. What would you do?
It was the last minute of the semi-final. The score was 1-1. The Orange Tigers and the Maroon Mighty had both played brilliantly, and everyone on the sideline was holding their breath.
Sia sent a long, curling pass high into the air. Rory jumped as high as he could. The ball bounced off his arm, rolled onto his foot and flew into the net. GOAL!
Half the crowd cheered. The other half groaned. But the referee, Ollie the owl, had been looking the other way. Ollie pointed to the middle of the pitch. The goal counted!
The Orange Tigers ran to Rory, shouting with joy. But Rory wasn’t smiling. His tummy felt like it was full of stones. He knew the ball had touched his arm.
If Rory stayed quiet, the Orange Tigers would reach the final. If he spoke up, the goal would be taken away. Rory looked at Percy, who looked so sad. Rory took a big breath.
‘Referee,’ said Rory, walking over. ‘It hit my arm. It wasn’t a fair goal.’ The whole pitch went silent. Ollie blinked. ‘Thank you for telling me,’ Ollie said. ‘No goal.’
The Orange Tigers lost that day, 1-1, and then the Maroon Mighty won the shoot-out. But as Rory walked off, the crowd rose to clap. Even the Maroon Mighty cheered. Percy hugged him.
At the end of the season, Rory was given the Good Sport Medal. ‘I didn’t win the match,’ he said, holding it up. ‘But I won something even better. I feel proud of myself.’
The little lesson
Telling the truth when it is hard shows real strength.
Let’s talk about it
- Why was it hard for Rory to tell the truth?
- How did the others feel about Rory afterwards?
Finish stories to collect Rory as a sticker in your Sticker Book.
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