SuitabookPerformance pressure and confidence
Josh can play well but fumbles when he steps onto the field, then thinks about quitting after losing the opening game.
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Book details
Patrick Loughlin - Author
This is a sports story about a capable player struggling when attention and expectations make competition feel overwhelming. Its main appeal is the combination of rugby-league action, a recognisable sporting hero and a confidence-focused personal challenge.
"Josh can play footy. He's fast and fleet-footed and a blur down the sideline. But every time he steps onto the field, a stampede of elephant-sized butterflies invade his stomach and he fumbles the ball. Having his footy-mad grandad screaming from the sidelines doesn't help. To top it off, he blows an easy try and loses his team the opening game of the season. Josh starts thinking about giving up football forever. That is, until NRL legend and Josh's hero, Billy Slater, turns up at training one day. Can Billy help Josh overcome his nerves and hang onto the ball long enough to score?"--Back cover.
Book Brief
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a sports story about a capable player struggling when attention and expectations make competition feel overwhelming. Its main appeal is the combination of rugby-league action, a recognisable sporting hero and a confidence-focused personal challenge.
Josh can play well but fumbles when he steps onto the field, then thinks about quitting after losing the opening game.
Josh’s football-mad grandad screams from the sidelines, and this does not help Josh’s performance.
Billy Slater, Josh’s hero, visits training and may help him hold onto the ball and score.
The opening defeat and Josh’s thoughts of abandoning football may feel significant to readers who connect sport with belonging or approval. Grandad’s loud involvement could also prompt attention to how encouragement is delivered.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the book’s treatment of its main themes is not yet firm enough; some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
Book information
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Billy Slater 1: Try Time by Patrick Loughlin & Billy Slater on Apple Books
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Checked: 19 September 2026.
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.