LEAGUE CODE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 188, 11 August 1925, Page 14

LEAGUE CODE.

THE ADVISORY BOARB

•Should inquiries be made as to the whereabouts of the Advisory Committee of the Auckland Rugby League, such will not cause surprise, because since the decision to register the League as an incorporated society was reached it would seem that the Advisory Committee has ceased to function. This committee is- composed of level-headed men, independent of club interests, men who have the welfare of the code at heart, and who were appointed in order that on matters of importance they could be consulted, and their advice obtained. And vet, in the most important step yet taken by the League management —the decision to. register as aa incorporated body —the Advisory Committee was completely Ignored ; in fact, treated as though it does not exist. It was only to be expected that more than one member should' —well, to put it mildly—feel hurt, and it is not surprising to hear that there might be a change in the personnel of the committee as the result of the treatment handed out by the A.X.L. Management Committee.

WANTED—GOOD BACKS.

The two defeats handed out to the New Zealand team by Queensland bears out the opinion expressed early in the season that while there were playing League in the Dominion plenty of fine forwards, there was a palpable scarcity of first-class backs. In all matches played during their present tour of Australia we are told by the different writers that the forwards have done well, but the backs have not been able to give the support which was required to win the games. It is apparent from this that if the team to go to England next year is to warrant the trip being undertaken, then there will have to be a considerable strengthening: In the rear division. »And the worst of it is that there is very little proLni.se of this being accomplished.

THE ROOPE ROOSTER.

The competition for possession of the Roope Rooster this season promises to provide exciting fotball. The opening series of Raines were decided on Saturday, when City, Ponsonby and Devonport each won their contests, and with Newton, who drew the bye, these are the four teams left. On the form shown in the club championship, it points to either 'City or Ponson'by winning outright, and should these teams meet in Ibe deciding game a big crowd will gather at Carlaw Park to see the match.

APPRECIATION.

Kome few weeks ngo the Ladicß' Hockey Association wrote the Auckland Ruj*by League asking permission to play a match as a curtain raiser to one of the league club matches, and it wns only characteristic c 'of the A.R.Tj. that the request should be granted. Unfortunately for the Ladies' Hockey Association, which -was to receive a perccntnse of the total gate that day, tho weather was anything hut favourable. but even so the few pounds subsequently forwarded to the association would be welcomed. Tho secretary of the L.H.A. has now forwarded to the Auckland League a very nicely-worded letter, in which the association expresses its thanks for the use of Carlaw Park on the occasion mentioned, and the association's appreciation of the Leogue in -doing everything possible to make the day a success.

COMING ATTRACTIONS.

Tlir> clufo championships concluded and won iv the City Club, attention is now foousKod npnn the programme yet to be submitted to followers of the League code, before the curtain falls on the .1925 season. A few weeks ago the menu did not look very tempting, tut since then some special items have been added. The Roope Rooster competition will close In a fortnight, by which time the Xew Zealand touring team will he just nbout due back from Australia, and before they disband will play a match with an Auckland thirteen. The champion of champions, a club game, between tho clnb champions (City) and the winners of tho Roope Rooster, should be an attraction and there will also be interest taken in tho same between South Auckland nnd Auckland for the Northern Union Challenge Cup. An Ota-go team will also visit Auckland, nnd there, is the possibility of a Queensland team coming across. So that when the programme Is reviewed the season is not going to be the lean one it promised some time back.

THE OTAGO VISIT,

It was generally understood that the Auckland 'League had given a guarantee of <£100 towards the cost of'bringing the Ota"o team to Auckland this year, but it now transpires that this Is not quite correct, and the true position, according to the chairman of the A.R.L. is that no guarantee has been given at all, but the A.R.L. bus agreed to advance the Otago League .£IOO, rhis amount to be the llrst charge upon Otago's share of the gate receipts This, of course, is quite a different thing to having £100 guaranteed, but only the .most wretched weather conditions could fail to make the trip a payable one for Otago. seeing that their share of the gate is to be 00 per cent.

" MAKES THEM HARDY."

The win of Devonport on Saturday over Marist Brothers in the first series of games for the Roope Rooster was only earned after a hard nnd exciting contest." The heavy rain which fell shortly after noon made the playing area very sloppy, and incidentally affected the size of the attendance, which nevertheless was surprisingly pood. And those who patronised the Park had their moneys worth, if not in brilliant football in hard and solid Rugby, In which neither side showed any quarter, and at times carried the vigour of the play to what may liest bo descrlned as "over the odds." More than once during the afternoon the crowd both on the terraces and stand called upon Ibe referee to put a player off for rough play, but .Mr. Bull apparently did not think the play warrant<■<!■ a man being sent to the dressing-shed. His opinion was not shared by the crowd. Perhaps he agreed with the father who remarked when his boy fell down a flight of stairs : "It makes him hardy "

DEVONPORT'S WIN.

While the mnjority of followers of the League code expected Marist Brothers to win over Devonport on Saturday, it was always on the cards that the team from across the harbour would spring off a surprise. l>erhapa not a surprise altogether because several times during the season' they have played great football, but they had a habit of falling to pieces just when the most was expected of them. In Marist Brothers they met a combination on a par with themselves, good forwards, but backs not over endowed with speed. This suited Devonport, and it was a case of two sets of forwards battling, for supremacy. And battle they did in the true sense of "the word. From beginning to end they set a great n«w, and, to the delight of the? crowd they kept it up. The backs had their usual scoring chances, but the state of the ground and the greasy ball did not heln them any, and it was really the forwards who did all the. attacking work. Godlck was tried at full-back for Devon port, and he did well; in fact, showed n great improvement upon his piny of the previous week, when ho was wins thr.eeQuaner. Yardley, Julian, K. Scott, mid Cleaver were also doing good work and doing it all the time, but they did nut handle the ball with nny degree of accuracy in passing bouts, otherwise Devonport' would have won by a bigger margin. The for wards were all grafters, and it would hardly he fair in such a willing i or to Rl"t;;e any particular one out for special

CITY'S TRAINING STANDS

City's Irnluing stood them in j;ond str-irl -11 Knliinlny. and it was that which won Iliem Mil- mat-]]., Although beaten lii, •" khiiml huiiK on to their opponents lii'-c lirri-rs. niul worried the. reJl and blocks <">n pvpry possible opcasion. Then the state of the ground helped to make the frame one of :i most strenuous nature. City were senr out in tho pluk «.f condition' by Irain.'r Kayiier, and were thus able to "come off the licld almost as fresh as when they went on. In fact, one particular" nlaver was so lively that he was looking for trouble when the final whistle blew His friends prevented bim from setting it.

EMPTYING A STAND.

Prior to thy league mulch City v Hiehlnond at the ■ Domain on Saturday the Kramlstauil was full. Spectators wortwatching !i junior Kughy match, which was followed hy one or ;m" Interesting nature. The. 'Leugue match was played on another part of the ground, anfl as soon as the teams filed out the grandstand emptied.