THE FOOTBALL SEASON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 103, 2 May 1890, Page 3

THE FOOTBALL SEASON.

STRENGTH OF THE CLUBS.

WHO WILL WIN THE CUP ?

« Well, whnb's football going to be like this season?" Said a Star reporter this morning to a prominent player, as the two tact in Queen-street. " Ton my word I can hardly say. One can nerer bell beforehand how things will !|ro. We fancy we know oil about it, bub Something may crop up to put the besttaado catculatibn quite out of order, trophecy is nob a good business for tho iootballer." REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. " That's all very true; bub we may try to form some idea* of our prospects for the season. How will Auckland stand for big matches?' _, ... "Nob so Well as lacb season, I m afraid. Duibea number oflaht year's representatives have left the city, and fomo have left the colony* O'Counor, Wells, and McLean are all engaged on contracts up counbry wliich will occupy all their fciioe. Elliott is ab work in the Norbhorn Wairoa; Haynard is working ab HeloneWUe; Hugh Poland has a mill in the same place; W. Wyuyard has gone down to Wellington. Tho places left vacant by fche3e men will bo hard bo fill. Bub a bumber of our young players will be eodduriified by the chance of beboming, and will develop qualities not before drcamb of. Then toost of last season's backs etill remain, (and $ good jeb they wero." ," Wili there be many rep. matches V "One match at least is certain, and bhab Ss with Taranaki. The fixbure will be an annual one, played in Auckland bhis season, ami in Taranaki next. Then there is jnsb & chnnco that the Wellington tnenmayvisib us and give us a chauce of knocking spots out of them to wipe off our defeat last season. It is aboub time they made a tour of the colony." "football is sure to be pretty lively them"

'" Football is always lirely, oldman; and this Season will chow no exception. The club contests promise to be more interesting than for some time past. There has been a regular ' jumble-up, as it were, in nearly all the club? owinj; to the number of fellows who have left the city. The'reeull is thab several new men will be playing for somo clubs, and their strength Will be difficult to judge till the first matches cowe off."

"Which club do you expect bo have the best show for bbc Cup?" " Wouldn't you like to know ? I wish I could tellyoufor certain which will be bhe bttat, bub for the reasons given above a choice is very hard to make. I fancy most of tho clubs will be, pretty even, and good gatae'e all rotttid may be expected." GORDON. "Bubyou.might be able to give some idea of bfye strength of each club, even if yoti can't say Who will be strongest. What will the Uordon men be like?" . " N ° w .J ou ' r * talkin g sense. Gordon won the Cup lasti season for the first time einbo the formation of the club, arid had a very strong team. But their losses have been tbheiderable. Besides Hugh Poland and Mfljrnara, Mentioned above, Reed has gone to Melbourne, and Binney will be leaving hexfc week for Samoa. Their forward divi•rf- thba h * &«atly Weakened." t ,Jiu you fchinl? Potfly of their show ?" . Oh, thab 8 saying too much. They have a neifr man in Cantley from the who can use his feet very cleveriy in a dribble. Then young Smart, whoplaWifortfteSeeodcl.lastse&oh, has a deal of dash and Will be a good man. p%6d fffr the Club the season : before..last, .will this season play ggfc "J* Saturday.' L. Rfees Wilf oe %?A *° ifi a weellor two, and is ,ai . d « to >, a then S^.s . dlv ! sion :'•there; are Jack Poknd who*, tified td captain the Club «d last, two seasons played on tb& Thames, and George Smart, who arrived lately from Melbourne, and played for Vie tdhaagaiheUNeWSoUtK Wales. V™ proA^I y f reln « mUr Blnarl) #i,en he Played for Albert. Jo you see the Gordon men are Bb.ll pretty sbroite, bub they will Want some organisabion fhey ought id make a big iSmSss^ to hoidthe cup £or an ponbOndy. ial^^tl 1 - .*£«''«*& team of bo many , .lilWfatoly, Well, they will Sμ. from lest season than any bher They have losbTaiineid, a real good ttle back, who has johred the Shore Club ; Sol IT h %i* [li la y ve *y ' uttle thiß SbSiSM **># have gob wilTremS y f^m you ffl SSSL -a 8 a , good man for Ponsonby '•• Si! °° wle - Df aeasone back." ' ufc%V no other new men?" wlib called Wainhouse, Iri JenM, 6fl **f Nelson against Auckland SfSlAwSli , * ell in Practice P™ Catadue * wlio played S^SSiffl-SS^?' haß f °r some reasdh PnSnh? f ft^ 8 fi ld « fib "« d JO»* d have also W ft b;p^s n ss^ ifponsonbywouid Jα SfLS , !? %h tetm combination and[practice together Will tell etrbngly in their favour: While the other clubs will be a bib off, owing to want of tha,to practice. Bub I am inclined to think that

GRAFTON will have a very good show. Their forward teahi looks very strong on paper, and will take a lot of beating. They have lost one of the Whytes, bub Leoky, McKenzie, Higglns, Sheddan, Charley Stone, and the other Whyte are all good men ; and in addition thefeare this year W. Stone, who played such a find game for Ponsonby before he went to Melbourne two years ago ; Smith, an Athletic player of last season, very clever with his feet; and Stewart, of the Native team, who played a fine game last year against Auckland and at the Thames. The last named may not be in Auckland all through the season." "That's a pretty formidable collection. wVr re bhe backs g° od ?" Aob bad, but loss dangerous-looking than the forwards. They claim Stichbury, a really good back from the Athletic team, but Athletics say he still belongs to them. 1 o-morrow will show. Belcher, from Auckland, will play for them and may improye. reter Mackie is fast and picke up and passes. Ho will be useful to feed Madigan. Konayne is a clever young back from the juniors, and Kelly is another new man of whom I know little. Elliott is working up Worth, and may be down for the season, bub it is doubtful." AUCKLAND. " Will the old Auckland Club have anything like a decent show this season ?" "If Frank Clayton and Henderson could have their way, or were rewarded for their hard work, it would be the best in Auckoil" n , Kub tne num ber of reverses the Club has suffered for the last few seasons, cause young players to avoid jt. Then O'Connor and McLean have been obliged through businoes to leave: Caradus and Belphor, after being given a show last season, have left for other clubs this time, and Jim Baxter may not be able to play. On the other hand, Hajes, Walker, Williamson, Pritchard, Henderson, Dr. Bond, and others still romain. Kolly, of the Wanderers, is a likely-looking man. Duncan, an old pluyer, is making another start. Titraarsh (Selwyn last so.ison), HaniSay, and a junior called Bouiko have joined. !On the whole wo may expect to see a fairly good fifteen in the field, though Cm afraid there is uob much chance of winning the cup." NORTH SHORE. " Will the recently revived North Shore Club make anything of a show ?" " I'm afraid they will nob play for the Senior Cup. Moab of their best men belong to the Permanenb Force, and cannot get over to Epsom; but the Management Committee insist that half their matches *hall bo played there. The result will be, from what I hear bhe Shore men say, that the Club will noo be ablo to put a team in the field." " Suroly the Committee did not moan to put the new club out of existence ?" "It looks liko it. Various excuses have been made for nob allowing tho Shore men to play on their own ground, and when one wouldn't serve, another did. The ground was bad. ' Oh, we'll soon pub that right,' eaid the Shore tnon, 'and make it as good as Some of your Epsom grounds. . Then the Auckland players objoctod to going to tho Shore. No, thoy don't. They cay they rather liko the change. Wo'l, there would be a loss to tho Union in revenue, and so on."

" Then you think tho North Shore men need not bo counted?"

" That is so. Their inability to play will leave a team standing out every Saturday, and will rob the Cup matches of considerable' interest. The men mean to keep togother, and play vieibing /teams, or take trips to the couutry on off days."

SEHtYN. " Well, it is a pity, but I suppose- we must dismiss them from our calculations. What do you think of Solwyn ¥' "The Selwyn boys are young at Senior Cup matches, but they surprised everybody last season, and may do something startling again this year. Their good combination told in their favour, and thoro ie no roaaon to believe they have losb anything in thab rospecb. They have losb one or two men, bub their gains more than .make up for bhose losses. Frank Twiname, whose play oughb to jusb suit the Selwyn, has joined and will assisb them considerably. Farrell, of Ponsonby 11. last season, ia a coming forward, and good things aro said of Kingsley, a man from up Helenaville way. Cronin, Wakerley, and Fagan, all juniors lasb season, are clever players who kave done well to throw themselves into senior play. Wattie is a bhrce-quarter back new to Auckland. He is said to have represented Canterbury lasb soason. Ho belonged to Lyttelton, and is a likely looking fellow. The boye are pretty euro to make things merry, and their voice in the decision of cup winner will be an important one." __ " Thab clears up the seniors. You seom bo have been keeping your eyes pretty wide 0P "0h Wβ all do bhab ab bhe beginning of the eeaeon. Bub 1 don'b profess to know everything." 9 JUNIORS. •« Do you know anything of the Juniors ?" " Can'b say much. There aro sure to be some very exciting matches, though. Athletics, Who won the Junior Cup last Year will be sbroiig again this season, and it will need a good team to wrest ib from them. Gordon 11. will be stronger than usual, having gob one or two clevor new players. Native Rose is a etrong Club, and will be very hard to beat. Then Orient and Wanderers were both nearly as good as the Natives last season, kS will nob like to fall behind their old rivals. Grafton 11. has got additions from KelwynllandwillbenabUrallystrengthehGd, while Ponsonby 11. Ie sure to be pretty trood, though several men have been drafted into seniors. University is new, but they claim to be prebty good.-and last Saburday the men showed up well at practice, f tell you there will be some warm junior.: matches."