NORTHERN UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 190, 12 August 1919, Page 8

NORTHERN UNION.

The representative match on 'Saturday showed League fans something they may not have noticed before. It demonstrated that Aucklandera are not yet. absolute champions at the game. Though the home team defeated llawke's Hay to the tune of i"> points, as a. team they were not so far ahead as, the re.sulte tend to show. The visiting pack showed the local forwards a point or two about playing the ball, and they proved themcelvea an all-round better crowd in the rucks, too. Where IJawkc'e Buy lost the contest wae in the open hack play, ami by being favoured by conditions. "There can l)e no question that the guests from the South-Kast had everything against them, and besides all thw there were a couple of tries that were lucky. Dufty himself made 10 points by goal-kicking.

The Auckland back* were far faster tlian their opponent*, and seemed to have a hotter all-round knowledge of the frame, although their work, particularly in tlie passing bui:ts, was not to be frreatlv admired. Ad individual players, most of them were quite good, one or two were a trifle above the average, and one or two were aivrul. Davidson demonstrated again that, despite the great number of his supporters, he U in no way great as a footballer. He has none of the finesse of tiie expert fadt back. His method is run and kick, he has not the first signs of the side-etep that has made many another fast hack famous, ami the accuracy of hin lidding iti in no way remarkable. If there wore an expert centre. a man like Ifwersen,, to draw the defence anj make a bright opening, and then send the speed}" young wing a nice easy pasts, he would be very useful as a scoring man, provided always he could keep in touch with an artful dodger, but -when Davidson is well marked, and doee not in the ordinary course of things get many gift openings, he does not shine. Neal is a goevd boy, but he id inclined to that machinery-work for which Ponsonby halvee have for quite a. while been notorious.

.So far as HawkeY Ray is concerned, tiie backs were decidedly weak, playing as if they had a lesson they had only half learned. They certainly were not at their best in the game, and there were one or two rather weak spots. One of these wae Pompcv, centre three-quarter. Hough ton ami Jackson and McCarthy and At wood all distinguished themselves by tlu-ir sound tackling. The visitors' pack was distinctly good, but as individuals they wore out of it, all except Selby, who wae the best forward on the field, not excepting Iladdon and 11. A very, tho two most brilliant of the Auckland sloggers. The Hawke'a Bay forwards gave no support at all to their baokrf in attacking movements, and very little of this wae done by the Aucklanders either. Auckland won on the speed and superiority of their backs, nothing olse. They are to be congratulated on making the game as open as they could, but they were bound to do that, because in the open play they fo\,nd their chances. They will have to'work better as a team when Australia comes.

And this matter of the Australians brings up another point regarding which the "Star ,, has had some correspondence. Are the X.Z. League reps, who toured Australia to be included in the Auckland reps, for future games this season? Why not? What ie a rep. team? A rep. team is the thirteen best players a locality can produce, and to be a rep. is the highest honour a player can attain. At least, that was the idea in the old prewar days, and all the old reps., wherever they came from, have a name and a standing- now. The .League might well be careful lest it, makes ite "rep." honours too cheap.

Two or three times, possibly more, correspondents have written regarding the tour of Australia. The ''Star' , cannot answer the queries of these people, 'because the •'Star" does not know. The tourists and their two manasers have boon back hpro more than a fortnight now, but still no ofiieial report of the tour, its results and its finances, has been presented to the X.Z. Council. This report was asked for a week ago, but Uie first manager's reply was to the effect that he wanted time to make it as complete as possible, and hie bank pass book had not yet arrived. However, there is hope that it. will come in time for next Monday's meeting. Comment on the tour would scarcely he fair until that ofiieial report has been made. Then both aides of the question pan be heard.

Many interesting things are likely to happen in Auckland League before the season is out. Besides the Koope Rooster games there is the Australian matches. Possibly thero may bo two played here —New Zealand and Auckland. Then the Sydenham team, tho Chrietchurcli champions, are coming up here to play Ponsonby for the Thacker Challenge Shield. That game will possibly be played on September 6, and in the meantime there is a negotiation going on between Maritime and Oriri, which is the Maritime team of Napier, to have a game between themselves down there. In .addition to all this there is still a chance that the Auckland rep. team will get away on tour down south, /visiting Kapier, Wellington and Christchurch, possibly one or two other centres as well. It would be well to take note of all the "possibles," because, after all, these things might not come $© £a*v jievex can, teU. thesc-da^Sj

MEETING OF COUNCIL. AUSTRALIAN TEAM'S ITINERARY. A meeting of the New Zealand Council of the Rugby 'League was hold at the league rooms last evening. Mr. J. Cnrlaw preeided. Them were present:—Messrs. Powell (Auckland), Stirling and Wynyard (Canterbury), Scott (Wellington), Levk-n (Ilawke's Bay), and Ferguson and Robertson (West Coast). The annual report "nd balance Hheet, which have already been published in the ".Star," w«;re read and adopted. Delegates on the Council were declared duly elected as follows:—Auckland, A. E. Powell; Canterbury, R. J. Stirling; Wellington, H. '11. Scott; Hawked Hay, A. B. JLrvien; West Coast, .1. A. Ferguson. The itinerary of the visiting Australian team wan arranged as follows: —-Wellington, test match, August 23; Gilymouth, if muand of transit permit. August 27; if not, Canterbury same date; Canterbury, test match, August '.M; Auckland, teat match, .September 6; match against Auckland representative team, September 13; test match, September 20. It ivae decided to apply lor permission to nee tlie Auckland Domain for all the local matches. A selection committee, consisting of Meerire. Wynyard, I'owell and TVrgr.son, was appointed for the choosing of the New Zealand team. It was decided to communicate with Wellington, Canterbury, Hawkc'rt Ulay, and West Coast leagues, asking them to forward the mimes of players they thought most suitable. The election of officers resulted as follows:—Patron, Dr. 11. .1. Thacker. M.P.; j president, Mr. 1). W. McLean; dente, Meesre. .1. Carlnw (Auckland), .1. Vitfor ißrown Ulawke's Bay), and .1. D. AVingham (West Coast); secretary, Mr. 11. Oakley; treasurer. Mr. 0. Smith;' auditor, Mr. Harold Kowe. i

The retiring president, Mr. I. Carlaw, in a letter to the Council, stated that as chairman of the Auckland League, his time was fully occupied. Mr. Cnrlaw was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for the scrvicee he had rendered as president.