SUSPENDED AND WARNED OFF

-::-' • ' »' Wrath of Judicial Committee Falls Heavily On Frank Delgrosso , NO REASON FOR DRASTIC PUNISHMENT (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) After its hesitating attitude m the notorious "Dpoley" Moore case, the Auckland Rugby League threw a bombshell into football circles last week by a general clean-up of some sensational incidents which have been connected with the 13-a-side code m the northern centre during the past few weeks.' ■* Most sensational of all was the sentence of three seasons' suspension and the warning off all grounds under .the jurisdiction of the League m that period, of Frank Delgrosso, veteran Enzed League rep. and cajptain of the champion club of Auckland, the ronies. .'..-:.

AS usual, these decisions were arrived at by the judicial committee of the League behind closed doors of the committee room. However, Delgrosso himself has let the cat out of the bag as to the nature of the charges maide against him. They were, he says, (l) x that he made no attempt to get. Moore to leave, the field when the • latter defied , the referee; (2) that he threw some turf at the referee when the teams were leaving the field, and , (3) that he used bad language to the referee. , So much, for the League's "hushhush" policy. Chickens generally come home to roost. The public was left to fish for the exact reasons for the severe punishment handed out to Delgrosso. - It "was, of course, known that Delgrosso, along with V, Goodwin, another Ponsonby club man; was ordered to appear before the. League as a result of the referee's report on the Ponsonby-Devonport match on , October 11, when the sensational incident occurred m avhich "Dooley" Moore was ordered off and refused to go. But it was not made public v what 'was the exact reason for Delgrosso's suspension, which, on the face of it, was all the more difficult to understand by virtue of the fact that to the thousands of spectators who witnessed the ordering off of Moore, it certaihly appeared as though Delgrosso was trying to persuade Moore to leave ,the field at one stage bf the proceedings. The League should have made public the reasons for the punishment

handed out to Delgrosso, and they should have realised that the truth was bound- to come out m the end, It is time the League realised that it cannot go on eternally 'ducking and diving under cover when a difficult problem crops up. It owes" a duty to its patrons, and it

should have stated why Delgrosso was "blown out" for three seasons. The punishment itself practically means that Delgrosso's long career as one of the most brilliant players the code has produced m , Maoriland, is finished. "Delly" is no chicken. He first

played senior League 5/way back -in '1919, and noy,- after 12 seasons,, he must have ?«een just about thinking of putting his gear away for good. A- crack-a-jack "half, and first fiveeighth m his day, "Delly" visited Australia m 1921 and 1925. as an Enzed rep., and .also a member of the ill-fated band that toured England m 192 G. He was one of the outstanding players m the Maoriland sides which' met Park:n's English tourists m. 1928. y. Goodwin, who was also im« plicated -m the wild and woolly incidents of the march on October 11, was suspended for four playing Saturdays m next year's competition. Once again, the League blandly "refused to put its cards on the table, and to say exactly why this hefty Ponsonby youngster was punished. However, it is presumably arising out of the incident after- Moore was ordered off, .m which Goodwin foolishly pushed referee Simpson. Notwithstanding all "the vigorous, but belated energy it has shown m these cases, the League has not explained how the, severe punishment of Delgrosso (virtu- - ally a death-knock to his career), squares with the indefinite sentence imposed on Moore. In addition to these two cases, the Leagues-j udicial committee evidently decided to make a clean sweep of things, and it also resolved to debar two men who were recently convicted of betting at Carlow Park, from attending the park m future. *