FINALISTS FOUND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 226, 24 September 1945, Page 7

FINALISTS FOUND

LEAGUE TROPHY

SHORE TEAM IMPROVED

' Under good conditions which made for open, combined play, the semi-finals of the Auckland Rugby League's Roope Rooster competition and Phelan Shield matches were played at Car Jaw Park on Saturday. As a result of the Roope Rooster semi-finals, Richmond and North Shore will be the finalists. The Phelan Shield matches provided a big surprise in that Point Chevalier beat Otahuhu, the minor champion of the season. ! . Results were:— Roope Rooster: North Shore 17, Mount Albert 12. ; Richmond 9, City- 7. j Phelan Shield: Point Chevalier 19, Otahuhu. 11; ; Ponsoriby 17, Marist 13. Shore Ontplay Mount -Albert. —As a ,result of better constructive football, North Shore beat Mount Albert, although •in the final phase of the match the latter rallied in a spirited way to try land..bridge'a comparatively narrow gap. For the occasion North Shore put in its best team of the season, the reinforcement Including Verdun Scott, J. Smith and I. Stirling, three players considered good enough to represent New Zealand in the tour of : England, in the 1939 season. Shore played like a team sure of itself, and was in thorough- agreement with the League axiom that attack is superior to defence. Much of the progress of the respective teams depended on possession of the ball from the set scrums, and honours were even, Rutherford, the Shore hooker, being well matched by S. Thomassen, who is rated by many League critics as the best hooker in the code. It was in the open play that the best support came to North Shore. Graham, the Auckland representative player, and Thomas, a Rugby recruit, playing outstanding games.

Point Wins Impressive]}'.—Point Chevalier played its best game of the season to' defeat Otahuhu, recognised as one of the leading teams in the competition. Otahuhu was not very far below full strength, but its forwards appeared sluggish when compared With those of the Point, all of whom worked hard from start to finish, with Barnes, MacKinnon and Shirley particularly prominent. Point backs also showed more dash and combination than their opponents, and a well-deserved win owed much to the work of the full-back, Anderson, the half-back, Harford, and the rugged threequarter, Walker.

Ponsonby Accepts Opportunities.— Though Marist had a territorial advantage for the greater part Of its game with Ponsonby, it lacked the finish and the drive to penetrate the defence to any decisive degree.. Nordgren again proved a match-winning asset for Ponsonbyi and was in top form in completing movements which also owed a great deal to the intelligent play of Kelly at centre three-quarter. The game was fairly scrappy, and there was an absence/ of sustained combination on the part of the backs. Fonsonby took full advantage of every opportunity, however, and was at all times more confident than its opponent on attack and defence.

Half-Back Played Well.—The ability of the Richmond backs to settle down early to some constructive play gave them a "leg" of the Roope Rooster at the expense of City. Both sets of forwards were evenly matched, and It was only the individual efforts of the Richmond backs which won the day. Behind the Richmond pack, Rennie, a recently promoted junior, gave a high class display, and his service from the base of the scrum paved the way for two tries. His own try was a brilliant effort. City Introduced two new players to Carlaw Park and one, G. Cunningham, at centre three-quarter, showed to advantage. His try was full of merit. Morris, a 15-stone forward, went well for 20 minutes, when he retired with a head injury. It was a pity Silva did not stick to the goal kicking instead of giving chances to Clarke and A. Donovan. Successful goal kicking-would have won the game for City, as four attempts from easy positions were missed.