Zone Team Put First

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32392, 3 September 1970, Page 9

Zone Team Put First

The promising MaristWestern Suburbs Rugby • league back, M. W. J. O’Donnell, will take his place in the southern zone 19-year team which will play northern zone at the Show Grounds on

Sunday. O’Donnell found his loyalties divided earlier this week • when it was discovered that the zone team's training pro- . gramme would conflict with h the Canterbury senior chain-1 J pionship semi-finals. • Mr P. Yaxley, the manager »of the Canterbury 19-year • team which took part in the 5 tone tournament at Greymouth, informed the Canter- ' bury board of control on Mon. • day evening that O’Donnell " wished to play for Marist- , Western Suburbs in its semi- . final against Addington on • Saturday. s However, the chairman (Mr v D. C. Wilson) said that the _; New Zealand Rugby League -'bad ruled that representative fixtures took precedence over . club commitments and that O’Donnell would be required ' for training sessions on Satur- ! day morning and afternoon. ibis left O’Donnell in the ’ awkward position of having to decide whether to play for Marist - Western Suburbs,!

which will be eliminated from the championship if it is beaten by Addington, or southern zone, with the chance to add national 19-year honours to the New Zealand 15-year selection that he won in 1967.

O’Donnell consulted the coaches of Marist-Western Suburbs (Mr A. B. Kennedy) and southern zone (Mr R. Woodgate) and club officials before choosing to play in the inter-zone fixture.