SPORTING GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 250, 21 October 1919, Page 8

SPORTING GOSSIP.

(By iCTAEON.) FOOTBALL. 'I RVGBT. * THE E.F. TEAM AND AUCKLAND. •s Sixteen points to s»x was the final .3 score of the N.Z.KJT. footballers against y Auckland on the Showground* on Saturf day afternoon, and the Diggers were at ;' the front. Both teams were obviously ,g not in the best possible form, but the • conditions were not exactly ideal for a fast football game. The Army team shone in their general attacking work '' and in handling the ball, being far , more " accurate hi both than were their ! ' opponents. The forwards were a v very strong pack, too, much '" better than Auckland produced a for the day, and indeed the general ' opinion was that the pack was better |E than the back division. The Digger backs " were without question a strong team of r individuals, but their combined work was ■" not so successful as many anticipated, d That is what made their defence so very sound, for it is not so much a machine- > like combination as individual brilliance - that makes for sound defensive play. 1 A strong team would have all its work - cut out to score often against this army - • fifteen, judging riolelv by their play on j j Saturday. CHrien, the full-back, amply » 'justified everything that has been said of him. His handling of the leather was r< super-accurate, only once did ho make ,{ a miss, and then the thing was so unexi. pected that nobody was near to take f advantage of it. Stolir, the Taranaki ~ three-quarter, was the principal tryr getter, and his work was often good, but it can scarcely be said that any of the . hacks, bar O'Brien, mtufo any great showing, and, as a machine, they came not . quite up to expectations. The feature of the day's play was the s Army foruianl work. The pack from the front overwhelmed the eight men up , against them, and in particular their j speedy follow up work and therr accurate , handling of whatever Aucklander happened to have the ball made them an unsatisfactory team to "buck" up against. All things considered, Auckland was unlucky not to score a few points more, but on the other hand it appeared as if the Army team could easily have made many more points had the'men been in fh fettle, and ha<] conditions been more conducive to a fast, hard game.