Building Resilience: Lessons from Bluey’s “Cricket”

On the 11th of June 2023, the final episode of Bluey Season 3.3 aired and Aussies everywhere started one in-sync Mexican wave to celebrate. Since then “Cricket” has ranked number one during Bluey Fest as Australia’s favourite episode. 

Today (the 12th of January) "Cricket" aired on Disney+ for viewers around the world.

The episode follows Bluey’s friend Rusty as he plays cricket at a birthday party. Narrated by Bandit, this slum-dog-millionaire-esque tale flips back and forth in time to show how Rusty became such a skilled batsman. Rusty’s resilience in the face of different challenges drives the narrative. 

The Resilience Project 

Resilience - the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties- has been a prominent topic of research in recent years. One very popular resilience theory is propagated by Australian initiative, The Resilience Project, which claims that gratitude, empathy and mindfulness (GEM) are the cornerstones of a resilient personality. I don’t know if Bluey creator Joe Brumm had this in mind or not but it certainly seems that Rusty’s journey embodies these three traits. 

Gratitude - Appreciating the Little Things

Let’s start at the end! After the game, Rusty says “thanks, Mr Heeler, thanks Lucky’s Dad”. Rusty may be a brilliant batsman but ultimately he “just loves cricket” and knows that he needs other people in order to play. It is this gratitude that helps him keep going throughout the story. Because he is grateful to be able to play with Jack, rather than resentful of the rough terrain, he is prepared to learn to deal with the ball coming at different angles.

Similarly, he is grateful to play with Digger’s friends rather than feeling entitled and expecting them to “go easy” on him because he is young. Because he doesn’t waste time resenting Tiny, he is better able to focus on the simple question at hand: is he going to give up, or is he going to be brave enough to keep trying. Gratitude helps him be resilient. 

Mindfulness - Being fully present to your current situation

In the opening scene you see Rusty in the background lifting up Dusty’s arms. It’s understated and I didn’t really notice it until my second watch. He’s teaching her to field.

Rusty loves batting. He’s the best batsman there. He could be forgiven for standing there waiting for his turn, and not focusing on other aspects of the game. But he is fully present to his current role of fielder. This presence in the moment is seen again later at Jack’s house. Rusty doesn’t waist time wishing he was at home where the ground was better. He focuses on his current situation. And when the letter from Rusty’s dad arrives we get a clue as to where Rusty's mindfulness comes from.

Rusty’s dad (voiced by blue Wiggle legend Anthony Field) acknowledges that “I wish I could be there to bowl a few at you” but sets an example of making the best of the current situations by saying “but I can’t now, mate”. He then goes on to give Rusty practical advice for the real situation, rather than dwelling on the preferred, imaginary situation.

This is integral to resilience because to overcome or bounce back from a difficulty you need to accept it and be focused on it.

Empathy - Understanding Others’ Perspectives

“Cricket” is a masterclass in empathy! From start to finish almost every character treats each other thoughtfully and kindly. For example, Bandit and Pat encourage Bingo’s and Snicker’s comically bad attempts at batting and fielding.

When Rusty’s family is introduced, Rusty's little sister Dusty asks him to hit her a catch and he replies “not yet, Dusty, I’m almost at 50”. He acknowledges what is important to her and agrees to provide it later, but also expects understanding from her when he explains why he is not ready to do it yet.

As the story unfolds, we can see that Rusty's family community of Dusty and Digger who play cricket with him at home, Digger who lets him play with his friends, his mum who lets them play cricket in the front yard despite the occasional wayward cricket ball, and his dad who understands and supports Rusty’s love of cricket are all integral to his success.

Rusty comes from a family of generous and empathetic dogs and the empathy he shows in return allows him to benefit from the give-and-take nature of a family. 

And OF COURSE in that now immortal moment at the end, Bandit tells us that “Lucky’s Dad put everything he had into that ball, and Rusty could have smashed it into next week if he wanted to. But instead, he hit his little sister a catch”. To be able to control that very fast bowl and then pop it up accurately and softly enough for a four-year-old to catch is another testament to Rusty’s skill.

This moment smacks of Pablo Picasso’s observation that “the meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” As much as Rusty loves cricket, he knows that there are still more important things than succeeding at cricket and is prepared to use his cricket skills to prioritise Dusty's happiness. As the story rolls into the final scene, it seems that this healthy perspective is partly responsible for helping him eventually become a batsman for Australia. 

Rusty’s gratitude, empathy and mindfulness make him a batsman who is truly deserving of the baggy green. As this episode closes, you can’t help but feel that Rusty Kelpie is a bloody legend and the absolute epitome of “a very good dog”.