The Game

Writer - Dave Marsh
Director - Julian McSwiney
Summary (Supplied by Jaye, Thanks Jaye!) -
Starts with Maggie and Ben decorating the Station for the Football final
between Mt. Thomas and St. David's. Ben invites Maggie to go with him
to the game, PJ overhears, and despite not liking football, invites
himself along.
Jack and Jo. are out on foot patrol and encounter most of the townsfolk
caught up in football fever. Every one wants to wish their star Jack
Lawson well. Jo. thinks it is all being taken too seriously.
A shopkeeper alerts Jack and Jo. to a suspected shoplifter. (Marnie)
They can't prove anything however. Just as you would expect, the
suspected shoplifter's husband (Johnny) just happens to get out of jail
that day. He was a champion footballer too, and Marnie doesn't want to
know about him.
Jack thinks that Marnie may also be involved in the theft of CD players
from a local shop, Jack and Jo. search her house but find nothing.
As a sideline, the Mt. Thomas football coach goes missing. With his car
found abandon at the Imperial and his empty wallet found at the scene it
looks grim. Turns out that the "kidnapping" is a fundraising lark (for
the ransom money) for the Red Cross, that St. David's cooked up with the
Mt. Thomas coach.
On playing a prank in return, Jack and a mate find the stolen CD players
in on of the St. David's players locker at their clubrooms. (Jack and
the mate are there to put prawn heads in the opposition teams lockers)
That crime solved.
Jack feels really pressured that the whole town expects him to win the
game for them off his own boot. The town expects him to be the hero, the
good guy. Tom suggests that trying to prove that Marnie is trouble is
just the same sort of "labeling" exercise.
Jack decides to go and talk to Marnie and apologise for accusing her of
doing something she didn't. In the meantime Maggie and PJ are
investigating counterfeit money.
Jack goes out to see Marnie only to find her pointing a gun at the hubby
(she has an intervention order against him). The hubby gets the gun off
her, which Jack thinks is okay, until Johnny turns the gun on both of
them.
It turns out that Johnny was the counterfeiter and he has returned to
get his money. Marnie, not knowing the money was fake, had been
spending it. Most of it gone.
Meanwhile the game start time is getting closer and Jack has
disappeared. When the 'Heelers' find out that Johnny, who was going to
to a lap of honour, is also missing, Tom puts two and two together and
they head out to Marnie's house.
In a struggle at the house, before help arrives, Marnie goes for the
gun, and Johnny pushes her through a glass top coffee table before
escaping with what is left of the money. With blood everywhere, Jack
stays with Marnie and lets Johnny get away. (PJ and Maggie catch him
later).
Jack volunteers (when help and ambulance arrive) to go with Marnie in
the ambulance and misses the big game. Mt. Thomas lose by two points.
The episode ends with Jack and Tom in the parlor at the Imperial.
Discussing over a glass or two of red, past football games (when Tom was
in the team that lost the final by over 60 points) and Jack thinking
they would have won perhaps if her had have been there. But he felt
okay, and wandered upstairs to bed happy in the fact that it was only a
game.
My Rating - 7/10
Guest Actors -

Actor:	Character:
Michelle McClatchy	Marnie Sommers
Paul Gleason	"Harro" Harrison
Daniel Dapens	Jason Sommers
Aaron Donovan	Jesse Sommers
Terence Donovan	Ian Waldron
Jeremy Angerson	Garth Haddrick
David Whitely	Gary Harvey
Peter Ashby	Mick Lyons

Quotes - n/a
Video Clips - n/a