The National Library of Australia holds eleven editions of this title including as a book, braille, sound recording, MP3 and electronic resource.

James Moloney wrote that the characters were not based on any particular individual but several events in his life influenced him: I had been thinking a great deal about the nature of masculinity.

I thought it would be interesting to make my character a footballer, with all the baggage that this can sometimes bring - the bravado, the camaraderie along narrow lines, the expectations of loyalty.

All is going according to plan until he meets Nuala Magee, an unusual girl with her own agenda; she cross-dresses, and acts in a deliberately confrontational manner towards boys.

The tension between Xavier and his friends begins to isolate him and when he betrays Nuala out of weakness, and a tragedy befalls Alex Murray, he is faced with difficult decisions about who he is and what he holds most dear.