PLAYING THE GAME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 116, 18 May 1936, Page 5

PLAYING THE GAME.

BEHIND THE SCENES. IMPORTANCE OF MASSEURS. MAKING FOOTBALLERS FIT. Behind the tumult and shouting of tha crowds and tense battles for supremacy on the football field there is another story —one of preparation and keenness that does much to keep the game alive. A club may have the best possible material on which to work but never reach the top unless it has keen support by non-players and old hands who know the run of the ropes and every trick of the game. Football teams in Auckland are fortunate in having many ardent supporters, some of whom derive enjoyment from turning out the players in the best possible physical condition. To the latter the mere winning of a match by their team is not everything. What they aspire to is the turning out of the players in such a degree of fitness that they are capable of going the whole distance after taking the. hard knocks that no footballer—be it in Rugby, Rugoy League or Soccer—can escape. Ihs masseur is the man upon whom much depends, and while he misses every scrap of the applause he is actually one of the team. He is on deck well before the curtain goes up and with deft manipulation .of muscles succeeds in putting the players in trim. Often he sees little of the match, as his services are required both before and after matches and on not a few occasions during the course of them. When casualties occur it is his duty to endeavour to massage injured limbs and place the injured player back on the field again. This is a very important aspect of his duties, especially when the non-replacement rule is enforced.

There is an art In massage, the same as there is an art in anything else. Each man has his own particular ideas of the ingredients which go to make the best mixture for rubbing dowr. pur-

poses, but those most popularly used are olive oil, wintergreen and while spirits in proportions which the masseurs like to keep to themselves. In some cases eucalyptus is used instead of wintergreen. One man who was caught busily at work in the dressing rooms at Carlaw Park on Saturday confided that it required four gallons of liniment for a team for the season — evidence that these men know how to make a little go a long way.