NORTHERN UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 158, 4 July 1916, Page 8

NORTHERN UNION.

NO CHANGE. The results of Saturday's games were very much as anticipated. The weather conditions were not of the best, and in no one of the games was the highest standard of football reached. Ponsonby were expected to give North Shore a keen game, but few doubted that North Shore would ultimately win. City's weight told against Newton, while in the Grafton-Otahuhu match the southern team threw out a strong challenge in the earlier stages of the game, but succumbed later on. The table is unaltered by Saturday's results, except that Ponsonby and Newton have gone irretrievably to the bad in the League competition. The knock-out competition for Roope's Rooster, however, gives them a further opportunity to make good. OLD RIVALRIES RENEWED. The meeting of North Shore and Ponsonby on Saturday was more of a gladiatorial exhibition than a football match. Play opened under conditions that were not conducive to quick, clean work amongst the backs, but a fast and loose forward game quickly developed, and the omens pointed to a not uninteresting game. With play only a few minutes old, North Shore had the good fortune to strike lucky, and went over for a converted try, and within another quarter of an hour increased the lead to 10 points. Apparently Ponsonby were not expecting the game to take this turn. Hitherto they had been mainly on the defensive, but, stung by North Shore's second success, they commenced to rush matters. It was not at this stage, however, that the game took on the undesirable characteristics that ultimately marked it. but this was the sfartingpoint for the rising of the thermometer. North Shore met their opponents' desperate onslaughts with equal vigour, and it was not long before players and many of the spectators were carried away by the excitement of the incidents : hereabouts. The position of the referee was an exceedingly difficult one, for on the one hand there was a section of the crowd which was frankly inciting the players to a rough type of play, while, on the other, the majority, who desired to see a sportsmanlike spirit, were apt to construe cumulative instances, which singly did not constitute justification for° ordering off players, as calling for stronger action. JUDICIOUS REFEREEING.

Viewing the game in perspective, one is constrained to observe that Mr. Weston, the referee, acted judiciously in handling the players -at this stage, and none but the most purblind and unreasoning partisan would suggest that his rulings were other than -absolutely impartial. Up till half-time, then, it may be admitted that, except for one very glaring instance in which a North Shore forward was the offender—an incident apparently not seen by the referee—the unfortunate spirit which had developed could best be dealt with by quietly, but insistently, penalising by a free kick for every breach of the game. If any criticism could be brought to hear against the referee, it was in regard to play after the interval. It is reasonable to suppose that the calming effects of the "breather" and a warning to the players at half-time—if such were given— should have been sufficient to have brought both teams to a 6ense of the necessity of exercising a little more self-control in the game, but in point of fact the situation was worse rather than improved after half-time. Under these circumstances rough pay could only be regarded as calculated and deliberate and should have been handled with corresponding sternness. However, the tendering of advice by the mere onlooker after the event is a different task from that of the man who has to make up his mind in the heat of the fray, and, on that account, although one personally inclines to the opinion that there were at least two men on either side who should have been ordered off the field for persistent unsportsmanlike conduct, the referee probably considered that the feeling would have been accentuated rather than allayed by that line of action. It might also be argued that as the players did not actually arrive at that state of bellicosity when thery resorted to stand-up fisticuffs, the over-keenness of old rivals

might be winked at. But the breaches that were flagrant and recurrent were of a type that cannot be tolerated on any plea. IS THIS FOOTBALL? To give categorical examples, the following incidents may be mentioned: (1) : Tackling with unnecessary violence; (2) ; deliberately and systematically tackling a man when he had passed the ball; (3) deliberately missing the ball and tackling a man travelling with the ball at . his feet; (4) obstructing to prevent a man who had kicked the ball from following up. For each of these breaches of course, the penalty of a free-kick, or, in some cases an awarded try, is deemed to be sufficient punishment, but where this line of conduct is adopted as the deliberate policy of an individual, or a number of players, the only effective remedy to the layman's mind is to order off the offenders and to report the ringleaders to the management committee of the game. It is a fetish with some people that a certain amount of latitude must be allowed to teams which have been traditionally associated with endurance and vigour rather than with the finer exposition of the game, while there are still those who believe that it is perfectly legitimate for the li shrewdy" to work points on the referee. To combat this it may be observed, without giving offence, that City Rovers, as a team, have been as rugged a lot of I battlers as any combination in the League, yet they were able to demonstrate in their game with Grafton, the other week, that keenness is perfectly compatible with sportsmanship and cleanliness in play. SCOTCHING THE FIELD-HOG. Without sufrgestiiifr that the referee in charge of the game on Saturday was at all remiss, one must again emphasise that the old type of football has got to give place to the clean, open, gentlemanly game if the sport is goin<r to progress, and that the remedy lies largely in the hands of the referee as a body. The evil is deep-rooted, and can only be] eradicated by the referees, backed up by the committee of management, embarking on a stern campaign for the suppression of the field-hog of football. Better to lose half a dozen reputedly crack players than allow the game as a whole to come under the baneful influence of the undesirable type of football. The co-operation of the linesmen is also an important factor, for all of the objectionable incidents in Saturday's play could not possibly have been detected by the referee: which if any inventive mind could suggest a means for the suppression of the violent partisan, male and female, his name would be written in letters of gold on the scroll of the immortals of sport. NEWTON'S HEAVY DOWNFALL. Newton became something of an unknown quantity when they scored their astonishing victory over Grafton on a previous Saturday, and when they met City on Saturday Inst there were those on the side-line who still said that another surprise would be sprung. In the opening stages of the game it certainly seemed as if Newton was going to put up a .stern battle, for they anchored the game in City's half and taxeil the defence with a number of organised assaults that kept the game swinging along merrily. Then they wavered and fell. City was quick to recognise and make the most of Xewton's slackening pace, and, by forcing matters.- definitely swung the game In their own favour. Newton still squirmed with some spasmodic efforts, and were able at times to turn the. tide briefly. City's play was patchy and inconsistent, being notably lacking in combination. It might be said that the game was won on pace alone, for the. winning's team's organisation was not impressive, and fnost of their success was the direct outcome of superior speed. The game as a whole was not particularly interesting, and at no time worked the spectators up to the pitch of excitement which they expect of all football matches. , GRAFTON V. OTAHUHU. Under last Saturday's conditions Grafton and Otahuhu. which met at the Victoria Park, were fairly well matched. On a field which in places resembled a bog both teams made vigorous efforts to start the game moving faster, but the dash of the spasmodic attacks was greatly reduced before the point was gained at which the best combination was required. During the first half play was to Otahuhu's advantage more than to their opponents', and in the second spell the representatives of the outlying suburb again bravely faced the miisic. but the (jral'ton captain proved too nippy: his ahility lo outpace tacklers was responsible for both his tries. The defensive work put up by each team when players were concentrated close on the goal-line was solid, but here (Jral'ton, though they did not break through, showed superior skill. I