BY DAN

Xavier Savage attacked the bouncing ball.

Fullback Jordan Rapana was closer but was running without the benefit of oxygen and legs under 100 years old. Halfback Jamal Fogarty had started closer but was more concerned with clearing a path to the ball. Without wanting to question intentions it seemed like more experienced players were scared of making the error.

The ball sat on its point and hung in the air.

Up 18-16 with about thirteen minutes to go, the Panthers were looking to take advantage of a tiring defence. Canberra were barely holding on. A grubber went through the line and if the oncoming Panther hordes caught the ball they would almost certainly score. That would mean the end of the game for the Raiders. All the promise and fire shown over the previous 67 minutes would have been for nought (unless, of course, you’re an English cricketer).

The ball sat suspended in the air along with the possible permutations. Suddenly the fastest man on the ground came screaming in off his wing and stuck a paw at the ball. For a player that has lived with scrutiny since he joined first grade it was a risk. Criticism would be sure to follow if his fingers didn’t land the ball cleanly. But choosing individual torment against the needs of team wasn’t really relevant. Just the clear and precise decision to get there before the opposition.

Savage did get there first. He did make the error others were scared to make. He saved the moment but Canberra still held the responsibility of holding out the ‘Riff for the 4000th time. At that point in the second stanza their opposition had been tackled 32 times in their half. The Raiders had been over halfway for a mere six, one of which involved Corey Horsburgh dropping the ball. Surely the stay of execution that Savage had given them was just that.

But a funny thing happened on the next set. The Panthers didn’t score. Matt Timoko intercepted a face-ball aimed at putting an edge backrower on his outside shoulder. He took off and may have gone the whole way, but memories of the endurance of his pace at such length held hard, and everyone, including Matt, was looking to Xavier.

Savage appeared like a celebrity in a nightclub. Like an action hero to save the day. He emerged on Timoko’s shoulder moving so fast it looked like he was spinning the earth. An easy pop thankfully caught, and the game was Canberra’s…..eventually.

Savage could have been forgiven for not being so aggressive in his decision making. In recent games clusters of errors from him have played a big role in outcomes. He’s been publicly (and presumably privately) criticised. His coach has noted his need to reduce the errors in his game. If there is a critique of his game it’s that sometimes he can lack urgency in getting to the ball. Less mature players might retreat into their shelves, sacrifice the teams outcomes for the sake of not being the cause of them. X instead attacked the ball, made the smart play disguised as an error, and saved the day.

It reflects the success of the ongoing project. Savage has gone from being near-abandoned in the off-season to the best winger at the club. It’s an impressive success story that heartens all our hopes of Sticky’s ability to turn promise of others into performance. Once thought too sleight for first grade, he’s now trampling fools in yardage. No longer a player who exists alongside team structures but rather the epitome of them. This is sometimes to his detriment, like when he’s a spectator as the club burrows into the middle of the defence like it’s searching for candy. But he’s shown he’s willing to build his game block by block to the help the team win. To entwine his success with the teams. To round out a game initially about flash with all the dirty work required.

This is why the club that had almost given up on him in December wants to extend him in August. Because he keeps learning. Because if his errors come they’re from trying to do the right thing at a 100 per cent. Because when he gets a chance *whoooooooosh*. Game over.

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Feature image courtesy of AAP Photos.