THE BOOKFELLOW.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13378, 20 March 1909, Page 7

THE BOOKFELLOW.

Wkitt_*s- ron "Tn_ Press"' bt A. G. STErHENS. (Copyright.—All Rights Reserved.) NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL. James Duncan. 35 years of age, bom at Roslyn, Dunedin, of Scottish parents, is the most prominent representative of football in New Zealand. He lives still in Dime-o'in, employed and employer in his trodie of harness-mak-ing. Of middle height and weight. ruddy-hair-xl. blue-oycd, ho is the most a'ivt" man I have met in New Zeal-am". Full of eager strength, both quick ami stubborn, with the Celt predominating in an admirable blend of race"-. Now in his life's prime, though past his prime for football, he is a man whom any connoisseur of men would look at with pleasure. He began serious football at fifte-en ; soon became captain of his club, the Kaikorai of Dunedin, which presently leaded club football in Otago; then, during many ycors. was captain of the provincial team of Otago, and led New Zealand footballers to Australia ; finally, closing his activ« career as a player, he wont as coach with the All Black team to Britain. He Ls now it- member of the New Zealand Rct'ei'its' Association, and in football there is no higher individual authority than his. Said Jimmy Duncan: No, I don't think Australians will ever equal New Ztxiland at football, and I'll tell you my reason. The hard ground in Australia: that's the reason. I've turned it over and over in my mind, and that's the reason I find. On that Sydney ground a man can't throw himself about; he can't stand being knocked about ; and either he gets cautious or he gets suth a eloing'that he has to retire just when he's turning out a player.

They've got the men in Australia—big men. f: -t men, and it's oniy a matter of training. But it lakes years 1-> a player, no matter how smart you are. Weil, five or six years. It's like learning a ti-ael-'" : yon can't know everything all -at. once: you've got u>

ed-ucate your brains to moke a footballer. When 1 sutrtt-d toot ball 1 thought 1 knew a lot about it: but live or six years later I i-ouid _».-e »"d bet n quit"-' ignorant. And '.iiai's what.-, the trouble wit.i tin- Australia:! pkiyer». They _ii': -< t time to mature Just when they're commenting "_> l>-p_iyi-r_ th.-y have t<- Alia-; ::.<■ hard ground It-is takvii too ruucii out v>i .hern. Or cL-t? they've h-arm-d to !_.- cautious, and that .-polls thin. 1 ri?!iieinber thy rir.st. match 1 played on t.-iat Sydney -round. 1 did i.wti.ing out ot th- or-Jin.iry .; bu: n -xl _. ( y I was .still with liru-.-e_ When v;.-u'vi-been thrown <i->wti a k-.v ti;u.s «-n yc:ur liip or «n y.r.ir should, r on Yh it ground you f«-« 1 or, tty i.:t<i. It struck all our the _i!it way. The fiist match they i.-'ay a lively game. jn>; ao th.y .!:> in Iscw Ze;.-iaji'.!. not ,-aring how they [ail; but :''.<-.- .-•■coiivt n.at. ii sec- them ([liile -iitlV; ent : ti.ey <._i.i_;e die fails: they've Ik-, v i.hnk, :i up too much. .-■► t!.;i't in .\;_ti'.ili.j. Umy iuii:d, the men jai.'l i.i-: h-:i_ enough to get a i>-.il know;,-..!;_,•> <ji tli■'■ ho not c-.-athing: you ..-an cciiL-h any lot o: u.'a.v,-r.,, if y-..u have" time; it's the hard g.-jiin.;.' In Xeu . Ze_.a!i-_ ive iali fci,ner. _» we c; , n aiford to take.- mare, l-ivk.t, and you've i::>t to take r_ks in to-iijall. 'lhl-saiin. in both Isiantia ; 1 take it there's more r-"-n, and that mal__ th_ dirjeienc-e. ground is an e_ct-p*.i_n ; lii il'_ ci hard gr.-.unci. very jike tt!e .--\xJn.y. -No. I do not ttimk the ganie is* a.s good as it used to ], : . ;,, ; Nrw / ( . Ll .. mu \_ nor th- phiyei-s, take ih.-in all ruiunl. The yuui!>; leliov.., don't rake the same interest in ii ; they're not so keen. When 1 w.-is a youngster I'd oiten iiawake hall the- fridny night—couldn't get to sleep, (igm-in- „ ut things in my bed—making plans, you understand, tor next day's match. They take it more us a nuiiter of course nowadays— not so keen as we used to he. .No. f don't think the breed is poorer in that way; they're strong enough physically. Only they don't put their back's into it; they're slack. And I wouldn't put it down to beer or cigarettes: they don't make any dificr<--ii<._ in moderation.. I always ate and drank just what I fan-e-ted, and it did mc good, If a man has to be over-carol til about his food, there's something wrong with him. Well, I think it's the easy life—it must be. They're not brought up as strictly as we were; they haven't had the discipline, and so they're not able to discipline themselves. It goe-s all through, you know. In my trade of harness-making, it's the hardest thing in the world to get good men—men that will gf> into their work with pleasure, as if they liked it. Yes, you can say the same thing about all trades. Yes, you can say tho same thing about Otago—and about New Zealand; that's my belief. The men now are a lot slacker; the quality of the work is going down all round. It is a big thing to .say, but I believe it's true—true of the young fellows, anyway. They've been brought up too easy—l don't know ; there's something wrong. Perhaps tho labour laws have something to do with it. The minimum wage—in our trade it's £2 10s. What's the result? Tho bosses won't pay more, aud tho best men have to conic down to the level of tho worst. The unions don't like good men: they don't like to see a man going ahead and doing better than his mates ; they do their best to keep all on the same level. And, a.s the duffers can t rise to a higher level, it follows that the good men sink to the level of the duffers, doesn't it? Anyway, that's how it works out. Tho easy life, that s what they're looking for. In my experience, " the goe-d men all want to take on piece-work. The chillers don t • it stands to reason. As the duffers are always in the majority, when it gets to the union meeting they outvote the others all the time. Ihe result is, they try to turn out, not as much as they can do in the time, but as 1 itt Iras Will keep the job nice nnd easy lor __» slow ones. And tlie. result ot that is, that the work is going down, and the men aro going down. <..,:„_. Football's thc same as everything else. They don't go into it as if they meant it—not the same as they used to There's T>lenty of room to improve in other "ways. Take the rules. Of course they are out of date Mado BC 5-5 or something like that; and you 'can't get the Rugby Union to alter them. And there's some rules you can't get ?. sensible meaning out 01. Others might have done nil right a hundred years ago. hut they don t do now They're against the development of the game. And the English won't alter them —too conservative —what s good enough for their fathers ts good enough for them. Well, New Zealand tho leading football country now; that's why I say we should take a hand and improve the gome "J the light of modern playing—it could I*3 made a lot bettor, both for players and spectators. , The English? Well, I went as coach with tho All Blacks' team; but I dropped it. There wasn't any coaching needed. No scheming. We simply didn't meet a team. The way we piled up points showed that. Towards the end of tho tour they commenced to take lessons and play up a bit; but they don't play football as wo play it. Stoddart's team tau_ht us the game; but now we can teach England. Play— and rules. The best team we met Was the Irish; their forwards were really good. Tlie Welsh were all right; but you know how stale our men wero when they got to Wales —it stands to reason. Why- Macdonald went to bed on the Saturday after the match, and didn't get up till Wednesday—that shows you the condition we were in, when a man lies in bed four days after a match. Tho best back I over knew? Joe Warbriek. Never a man to beat him, as an i.ll-round player. Jackett? A good man. but I didn't think too much of him. I'd havo bumped him overy time —gone down with him and put him out of"play. That's where team play come„ in—letting the other fellow score. I was never a solo player; but my team got tho points. The best forward I over knew? Barney O'Dowd, of Taranaki —I never saw bis equal in a scrum or out of it. Ami Davy Galla_ber —be always gave mc a lot of trouble when I was playing against him. Best half-back? Pat Keogh-of men of the past; and Roberts to-day. Keocli was simply a football gomus. Tricks! Ho was all tricks—ami tricks that s-cored. You couldn't tell what he was going to do—l elon't f>olieve' ho knew hinis-elf till ho came to it. Of course, there have been lots of ofier good men. in all pl?oos on the field: I'm just picking the chnmpion-s as they seem to me —those I've seen and played with.

Well, there has been rough play; but we're doing away with it. I believe, in making the tranie pure sport : and with good rules, there's a great future before it. The Referees' A-*o-cintion is down on anything like foul piny, and we're going to make things better.