LEAGUE CODE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 89, 16 April 1945, Page 7

LEAGUE CODE

1945 SEASON OPENED

FLASHES OF BRIGHT PLAY

Although combination was an occasional factor only, there were some flashes of good form shown when the Auckland Rugby League's 1945 senior championship, opened on. Saturday.. Results werfc: Otahuhu 17, Mt. Albert 4: Jdanst 17, City 10; Manukau 35. North Shore 9; Richmond 22, Pt. Chevalier 6; Ponsonby 11, Newton 3.

Mount Albert Recruits.—Three prominent Rugby players were Included in the Mount Albert team. Wiles. Neary and Pike. Neary Impressed in the five-eighths line with clean handling, speed off the mark and ability to penetrate. • He teamed well with Wiles, at centre, the latter impressing the critics with his dash and straight running with, in addition, good positional play when it came to defence. Had there been reasonable combination on the part of the other backs, and had the ball gone through the chain position when won in the set scrummages, the new players would have been seen to better advantage. In the front row Pike played in a solid and tireless way, and he was a member of the heaviest pack that the Mount Albert team has had since the 1939 season.

Anderson Helps Marist. —Smoother team play carried Marist. to the front in its match against City. The former has been strengthened in the forwards by the return of J. Anderson, who played for Point Chevalier last season. In addition to being an experienced all-round forward, Anderson is one of the most accurate place-kicks in the code. His contribution on Saturday was four goals, one being a brilliant long-range penalty from the side-line.

Richmond's Prospects Bright.—Richmond made an impressive debut in its first game against Point Chevalier, and the prospects for the 1945 season appear bright. The backs shaped particularly well in spite of weak opposition. The inside backs. Harkins and Robertson, were good on attack, the later being particularly effective and he paved the way for two tries. Seymour, usually a forward, played a sound game at lullback. a position, however, not strange to the ex-Papakura player. He is a fine place-kick and is likely to prove an asset to Richmond.

Ilardwicke In Form.—At Grey Lynn Park. Ponsonby Just got home from Newton after a patchy display confined mostly to the forwards. A feature of the game, however, was the splendid form of Hardwicke and Nordgven. The latter put in many dashing runs down a crowded sideline and may have scored twice, but for badlymarked touch lines. Hardwicke was the pivot of the attack at centre.

Clcar-Cut Win.—Playing its usual open and fast game, Manukau started the season well with a clear-cut win over North Shore. Actually North Shore did better than the final score indicated and was only four points behind at half-time. Persistent attacks by the Maoris, however, paid dividends in the latter stages of the game when Shore was tiring following the loss of its young half-back, R. Green. Manukau forwards to work hard were Shilton, Rogers and Ririnui. North Shore three-quarters, Read and Chatham, n^ a 9 e some gotfd runs, but the Manukau backs, including Murray. Butler, and Chase, were generally superior to their opposite numbers.