Recap
- Callum leaving Ramsay Street
- Toadie and Steph going to Ballarat to reclaim Callum
- Steve missing his coaching duties
- Ringo and Declan fighting over the footy captaincy
- Zeke playing footy fill-in
Recap update: there's a new swooshy effect that transitions each clip.
Credit update: Nicola has been removed from the Toadie and Callum ice cream shot. Toadie and Callum are now embroiled in a ventriloquist act - Callum is Toadie's puppet (complete with drawn on puppet mouth), but Callum also has a sock puppet.
Dingoes Den/Hospital
The Dingoes listen intently as Steve revs them up with a pep talk - in his hospital bed via the phone. He reminds them there's going to be an AFL scout at the game and to treat fill-in coach Rebecca with respect. The Dingoes are less than enthused with Rebecca's presence, which Steve picks up on. He attempts to clamber his way out of bed and down to the footy oval, but Miranda promptly shuts that idea down.
Back at training, Rebecca makes an unpopular decision when she decides to stick Ringo on the opposing team's biggest player. The Dingoes inform Rebecca that it'll disrupt their whole game plan, but Rebecca says her word is final. Paul skips in with the team's new jumpers - emblazoned with a big 'Erinsborough News' sticker on the back. The team are excited but Rebecca quickly snatches them back.
REBECCA: No, no, these are not to be worn on training days! They're to be clean and sparkly for the match! Put them back!
Ringo tells Declan he needs to do something about his mum, but Declan retorts that maybe the captain should do something about the coach. Rebecca asks her son how she's doing, and Declan suggests she reconsider her game plan, but Rebecca won't budge.
Road
Steph and Toadie bicker about being lost. Steph teases Toadie for spilling drink on the map and making it unreadable, but Toadie thinks Steph has been equally as unhelpful.
STEPH: Hey, I had a five minute power nap!
TOADIE: Your head has been bobbing around like a balloon on a stick ever since we left Ramsay Street. And you were snoring!
Toadie suddenly gets cold feet about the whole idea, thinking that Callum hates him and won't want to see him. But Steph brings him around and says Callum will jump at the chance to go home.
Callum's Aunt's House
Toadie and Steph find Robyn, Callum's aunt, and break the news that Toadie wants to take Callum back home. Robyn, however, doesn't think that uprooting Callum again is the best idea and claims that he's happy where he is.
TOADIE: He's happy?
ROBYN: Of course he is. Fresh air, his cousin, the animals, the slower pace of things...
TOADIE: Next you'll be telling me he's not even playing video games.
ROBYN: We don't have video games here.
Toadie begs to see Callum but Robyn asks him to leave.
Charlie's Bar
Rebecca makes herself even more popular with the team by buying them a round of OJs after training. She wants them to have a dry night before the big game. I'm sorry, but that just makes me think of nappy commercials.
Ringo, Declan, Zeke and Lucas all sit together sipping their fruit juice and talking about the AFL scouts. It doesn't take long for Ringo and Declan's competitive streak to emerge as they realise they have the same dream - to play for the AFL one day.
Later, Rebecca joins the team for a rowdy rendition of the club song. Paul smirks and says she's fitting in nicely. Rebecca pretends she's only doing it as a favour to Steve, but it soon emerges that she took the gig to spend some quality time with Declan.
REBECCA: When he was little I was always working. He missed out on so much.
PAUL: So it is about making up for lost time.
REBECCA: Well he'll be off living his own life soon, I guess I just want to make the most of the time I do have left with him.
Rebecca takes a call from Steve and Paul goes over to talk to Declan and see if he's OK, but he's not in the mood for a chit chat and walks off.
Dingoes Den
Paul has followed Declan to his little hideout.
DECLAN: You know you probably shouldn't be lurking around the change rooms after hours, people will talk.
PAUL: They already do. Alright, history between us aside, what's up?
Declan reveals that footy's the only thing he's good at and he wants to do well tomorrow for the scouts to set up a life for himself and his mum. But he doesn't think he's in with a chance because the team are freezing him out due to Rebecca's gung-ho coaching style.
DECLAN: You know what my mum's like when she makes up her mind. And the whole team is looking at me like I should be the one to tell her to butt out.
PAUL: But you can't.
DECLAN: She's my mum.
PAUL: So you'd jeopardise your whole career because of that?
DECLAN: What choice to I have?
Footy Oval
Inspirational music drums out as we see Declan visualising himself putting on the Victorian team colours as a professional player. There's lots of slow-motion and chest baring and posing in a fierce way - like Zoolander.
Ringo's Bedroom
Funnily enough, Ringo's visualising the same thing. No, not Declan's bare chest. Settle down. He's dreaming about his own AFL success story, complete with the same astro turf, black background and blue steel poses. It's a bit troubling how long he's picturing his own glistening bare chest, though, I gotta say.
Zeke bustles in and teases Ringo for being nervous, but Ringo says it's the most important day of his life. Zeke assures him that there's a lot more to life than footy, but Ringo states that this is his only chance to show he's worth something.
General Store
Rebecca hopes she hasn't embarrassed Declan too much lately, but Declan says that she hasn't. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he tells her he loves her.
Hospital
Dressed in casual clothes and his Dingoes scarf, Steve tries to sneak out of his room with his IV drip to fetch a pie and beer from the canteen (that's one well stocked canteen). Lou spots him and is sympathetic to his plight, but doesn't want Miranda to kill them.
They race inside when they see Miranda coming. She's brought Steve a few things to set the ambiance of grand final day - a radio to listen to the game, a copy of the player's board and a scrumptious tray of salad wraps. Mmm, mmm.
MIRANDA: Delicious, nutritious and low in cholesterol. It's a win-win situation.
STEVE: For who?
MIRANDA: For your heart.
STEVE: (disgusted) I can't eat those, not today!
LOU: It's un-Australian.
STEVE: Yeah, it's grand final day, come on!
MIRANDA: Well what should you be eating instead?
STEVE: Pies!
LOU: Washed down with a cold beer.
MIRANDA: Is that what you really want?
STEVE: Yeah.
MIRANDA: OK then.
STEVE: (eyes lighting up) Where are you going?
MIRANDA: Caféteria.
(Steve giggles like an excitable man-child)
LOU: Now you're talking!
MIRANDA: ... To tell the staff not to sell pies to either of you.
Dingoes Den
Rebecca follows Ringo around the room with her phone (for Steve) while he rallies the troops before their match. I don't speak sport so it basically goes something like, "FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY FOOTY etc". Paul surprises the team by letting them know he's secured an AFL legend to come and help them with their match strategy - Tom Hafey. The Dingoes are stoked but Rebecca is peeved that Paul doesn't have any faith in her, and doesn't believe that he's doing it for Declan's sake.
REBECCA: You know just when I think you might be a human being, you go and prove me wrong.
Charlie's Bar
Steph apologises for getting Toadie's hopes up about bringing Callum back home, but Toadie has a renewed sense of vigour and tells Steph that he has to see for himself that Callum's OK.
Declan comes to check on Rebecca and explains to her that he wants to do well today because he wants to acquire a career where he can take care of her financially. Smiling, Rebecca can see how determined her son is and says how sweet it is that he's a "man with a plan". Declan encourages her to come back to the footy ground with him but Rebecca thinks she should let him stand on his own two feet.
REBECCA: No, your own life's about to start. I'm just so proud of you.
DECLAN: Thanks. And whatever happens I'll always be on your team.
Hospital
Lou tries to sneak in some pies for Steve by setting up a ruse for Miranda (he pretends she's needed at the front desk to sign some forms). But Miranda is too cluey and springs the fellas, letting them know that they can either have the radio to listen to the game or the food. Steve unhappily puts the pie down.
Callum's Aunt's House
Toadie watches from the side of the house as Callum sits with his cousin and feeds some farm animals. Their backs are to Toadie so they don't know he's there. Robyn finds him and tells him it would be best to just let Callum get on with his life, but Toadie reckons that's easier said than done.
TOADIE: Alright, fine. But not without saying goodbye.
ROBYN: I'm not going to stop you, but think about what's best for him.
Toadie is about to go over to Callum when he heeds Robyn's advice and decides to leave him be, thinking he's happy where he is.
Cut to: Callum unenthusiastically sitting with some baby goats and his cousin under a tram-mam-po-line (™ Homer Simpson). The cousin asks Callum if he wants to feed one but Callum couldn't think of anything worse.
CALLUM: No, I hate it here! I wanna go home!
Dingoes Den
The team is nervously warming up before they hit the oval. Lucas informs them all that Hafey and the AFL scouts are here.
ZEKE: I wish they had a scout for Mensa!
Shouting and carrying on, the Dingoes make their way outside. Declan and Ringo are the last ones left in the locker room and warily eye each other up.
RINGO: I guess this is it.
DECLAN: Guess so.
RINGO: You really want this don't you.
DECLAN: About as much as you do.
RINGO: Well may the best man win. Good luck out there.
DECLAN: You too.
They put their mouthguards in and go outside.