LEAGUE TOURISTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 195, 19 August 1930, Page 10

LEAGUE TOURISTS.

RETURN TO AUCKLAND.

DOGGED BY CASUALTIES.

CONDUCT OF THE PLAYERS.

VIEWS OF THE MANAGERS.

Although their footsteps had been dogged by casualties, the New Zealand League tourists returned to Auckland by the Ulimaroa from Sydney this morning looking fit and well after a trying six weeks in Australia.

While nursing memories of more defeats than'victories, the players are loud in their praflse of the type of football played across the Tasrnan, and of the hospitality they received. The principal lessons to be learned from the tour, they declare, are the need to specialise in hooking ancl on future tours to include more than oiie half in the team. The tourists will disband after meeting the Auckland representatives at Carlaw Park next Saturday. . . Difficulties of Tour. •

- "The tour has. been, a very trying one from many points of view," said Mr. W. J. Taylor,. the team, manager. ."In the first place the opening day against New South Wales was very bad- for a side just ' over four days on the sea. Old officials , of the League assured me that 'it was the worst weather experienced for football in Sydney for over 20 years. We lost by 10 points to 5. Territorially we had the best of

matters and with a shade of luck would, have ' won the day. That suggestion of misfortune appeared to dog the team throughout the trip. By the time we had played five more games we had had 1C men Injured out of 22-some rather seriously. On medical advice, Dobbs. the Marist Old Boys forward from Christcliurch was sent home after the third match. Thereafter we had great difficulty in fie'ding a fit side and were compelled to play a number of men out of their usual positions. At Armadale and in Queensland the playing areas were found exceptionally l.ard and the soil on the surface seemed to induce poisoning or severe inflammation when a player received an aorusion. Probably o,thcr touring sides have met with' this exficrii ence, but few, if any, suffered such heavy damage at the outset. Then \|c have frankly to admit i that we were meeting teams with a standard of Rugby League football that is unexcelled in any part of the world.

"After seeing the methods and general organisation of the Leagues and clubs in Australia, the superlative football produced as ti result- both in town and 'gauntry, it wns gratifying to hear" the news. by cablegram that the Xew Zealand" "Council had 1 decided to adopt the sane ■■ policy that has made the code so signally successful in the Commonwealth. It was a basic part of recommendations which I proposed to. make- arising from, this tour. It is also advisable to state that econoinic conditions in Australia were never worse than when we arrived and this materially affected the gates everywhere'. Regarding the team I think it should he recorded that the behaviour of every man was exemplary.; Their conduct in . the face of severe hardship and , match losses was a great, help to the-managers. There was no individual unpleasantness amongst them and the conduct of the team everywhere commanded the greatest-respect on and off the field,"' " ■ .■ Still the Best Side. When the tour opened, Mr/Taylor was 'reported to have expressed the opinion that the. team he was, managing' was the best League team that had left New Zealand. In spite of the result of the tour, lie is still of this belief. One had-to take-into consideration, he' said, the-high standard of the game in Australia at the present .time. The teams to be encountered there were the world's best, or they -were equal to the world's best, particularly in. New South Wales. League in the Commonwealth , was by no means: On the decline. the standard of play was never higher. Handball'and not football was played, and if. a team kicked the ball it was a sure thing that it would be beaten. The speed and team.work of the sides that the tourists had met was remarkable. Neither in the city, nor in the country were any easy . matches encountered. ; Factors that Affected Gates.

"From a financial point of view principally because of the wet day on the opening. match and the serious depression now existing in New South Wales and Queensland the tour, has hot been successful," said Mr. j. A. Ferguson, the financial manager. "On the playing side 'the tour has been marred by the number of injuries to players. We started , with only 22 players • instead of the usual ,23, and. then, lost one The

same practically applied to Barchard who played one

;-:! ■■'■■• • ; game—the second, while Wetherill, who suffered from ear .trouble • after the .first' match subsequently injured an ankle and played for- one spell only in- two games. Taking.all these matters into consideration, the tour was carried on by 17 -players* . several of whom,, include ing- Stephenson, the hooker, were never at their .best and at* one period had to appear four times in a week. On many occasipns we were compelled to field players who were unfit to walk about,, let alone play hard football. It has been quite a. puzzle to know how to bandage men so that they could play, all having serious abrasions due to hard grounds. Unfortunately in the big centres, the 'gates .were affected'by the large numbers of ground members' tickets —estimated at about 14,000 on the tour. The team became noted for its wonderfully fine behaviour ,and I can say they have been a credit to their country and code. We were received with much entliuaiasni everywhere and the hospitality extended to us has been remarkable. We now have a real good side ready to field against Auckland on Saturday and from this.game an indication, should,be gained, as to the touring team's .standard and improved experience. 5 ' ■; - , ; . ■./... ...-._ - . . - - -'• '

Obstruction Tactics. ; "We Lave had an excellent time, an£ all the boys have behaved themselves wonderfull/," said the team captain, "Pope" Gregory, of Manst Old Bog "Although we are disappointed with the result of the tour, it wks casualties that beat us to a large" extent. Ihe hard grounds caused a ternbte lot of accidents, ankle injuries alone being suffered by seven of the team. The stan dard of play in Australia is very high, Lnd besid P es y we were greatly the obstruction tactics of the j me sides, which have that business down to a fine art. . . ' "The principal features of the Australians' play, however, are backing up and the retaining of possession ot tne ball. Kicking is practically unknown to many of the big teams. , "I have been twice to Australia, but I do not think it fair to compare the New Zealand sides I have toured with. Lessons to be learned from the tour, are that in future New Zealand must send at least'two half-backs overseas, and the same number of hookers, jit 13 ridiculous to send a team away without them. Abbott, of Huntly, was the only half-back we took, and he was compelled to play in every match, simply because we had no one who could give him a spell. Although he was the smallest man in the team, fortunately he had an exceptionally good, run, ami did not get hurt. Difficulties arose in the scrum when our hooker, Stevenson, was injured, and we could not replace him., If New Zealand is to succeed against overseas teams it must get specialists in hooking."