AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE VISITS BEARING FRUIT, SAYS RAY STEHR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 90, 18 April 1939, Page 15

AUSTRALIAN LEAGUE VISITS BEARING FRUIT, SAYS RAY STEHR.

"New Zealand football has certainly improved," eaid captain of the Eastern Suburbs Rugby League, before the visitors departed on tfie Monterey today. "We feel that visits of teams from Australia are now bearing fruit." raft is still necessary: that you have big ■traight-running backs and heavy hardrucking forwards if the team is. to be a eucc.ese in England. I am sorry that our team did not do better here, but I think that inost supporters of the game will realise that it is the start of a season and the players are not yet in tip-top condition. Then having to play three matches in five days did tell quite a lot on the boys. . .

"Your Richmond team plays the only type of football that will succeed and they have some great forwards- in Devine, Mitchell and McLeod. They ehipuld be a> wonderful success in England."

Players who were lucky enough to gain selection in the New Zealand team would have to remember that they would have to be in tip-top condition in England. For the tour to be a success it would be essential to win the opening'matches, added Stehr. * ■

"They will find that every match they play in Great Britain will be like a Test match: there are no easily won matches there. It means playing two matches a week and that is strenuous on the heavyfields. A tour of France and England is very strenuous and by the tSme it is over players will have had enough of football for a long time."

The Frenchmen play brilliant football, he continued. Their style would suit the Kiwis better than that; .of the English players. A trip to England and France wae worth playing for and making a few sacrifices for.

"I sincerely hope that our visit will have done gome good for fhe code here. I think the Auckland public will appreciate the fact that our boys wero trying to l'lay good open football all the time," he concluded.