Nursery Of League

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 250, 21 October 1944, Page 3 (Supplement)

Nursery Of League

THE JUNIOR RANKS

Need Of Fostering The Young Players

THE need or stimulating junior football in Auckland was strongly urged by various speakers at a social gathering arranged by the Board of Control of the Auckland Rugby League to entertain representatives of the Junior Control Board and Schoolboys' Control Board. "Clubs which do not make an effort to foster junior football are doomed to extinction," said Mr. J. W. Watson, chairman of the Auckland Rugby League, who presided. He added that the real work of the League clubs was to foster the juniors, and pointed to clubs like Richmond- Otahuhu and Mount Albert, now strong numerically and financially. The Point Chevalier Club was coming to the front through its encouragement of junior football. He said that the code had been well managed bv the control boards, and it was pleasing' to see that the game was progressing in the schools. Mr. Watson stressed the need of loyalty, and said that the League game would prosper as long as all put into it the best that they had. . The chairman of tlie Schoolboys • Control Board, Mr. M. vVetherill said that the board had functioned well, and its members were keen to help school League football. It was felt that they did not get the publicity that they should. They were up against stronger opposition than any other branch of the League code. An effort to interest head j£fA ter i schools had, up to a point, been successful. At the Mount Albert School the code had received splendid support, and there they had naa the use of what was regarded as the best all-weather ground m Auckland. Mr. H. Howe, deputy-chairman of the Junior Control Board, said that they had had the best season for vears and in the third and fourth grade's there had been brilliant football If the senior teams gave more attention to the would be no necessity to look for players from the Kugby Union. IvanSumich was an example of a young T P fi aeue who had risen from, the League inniors and he was likely to eventually be a New Zealand representative player. Yet he was one of many. Mr. J. Hanlon, a member of the Schoolboys' Control Boai'd. said that their work was to develop toe repr sentative players of the future. Schoolboy Competition Mr. L. Rout, secretary of the Schoolboys' Control Board, said that there was a wonderful opportunity for League football in New Zealand if it was grasped by the right peopleIn Auckland they had gone a long way with schoolboy football but thpv would have to go further. He hoped to see the code taken up by all the schools, and would like to see it carried into the secondary schools. The success of Ivan Sumich as a League product had been mentioned, but there were dozens of others, and one could point to R. McGregor, of the Richmond Club. Fifty per cent of the senior players came fiom the schoolboy ranks. Mr. Ivan Culpan, who has been secretarv of the Auckland Rugby League for the past 26 years, referred to the pioneer days when the game was played at Victoria Park. The code was now in a strong position, and could help others. He considered that Mr. Watson had had a hard row to hoe. The foundation stdne in Auckland was laid by Mr. Carlaw, and he had been followed by Mr. Hammill, and then Mr. Rhodes. It was unfortunate that during the recent season there had been much wet weather. Mr. R. Doble referred to the activities of the New Zealand Rugby League during the season, and said that in the match between the North and South Island teams the exhibition given by the northern players had been a revelation. The sooner the southern players reached the northern standard, the better it would be for the game. No sport had a more loyal body of supporters, land there were no fears of the future.