The tunnel was chaos. Players pushed past each other. Voices echoed off the concrete walls.
"That was never a penalty!" Will van Drunen looked pissed.
Marcus Price walked past him with a smirk. The striker was enjoying this.
"Good tackle, mate," he said. "Really clean."
Van Drunen stopped. His fists clenched.
"You know you dived," the Dutch defender said.
Marcus shrugged. "Ask the ref."
Jack Stones stepped between them. "Leave it, Will. He's not worth it."
The Rising Stars captain put his arm around van Drunen's shoulder. They walked toward their dressing room.
Behind them, the Hastings players were celebrating. Nathan Price was still laughing.
"Did you see his face?" he said to his brother. "Thought he'd won the lottery."
Marcus grinned. "Had to sell it, didn't I?"
---
The away dressing room was quiet. Too quiet.
Maddox stood in the doorway. His face was red. The yellow card he received was the least of his concerns.
