Wulf out of two sports

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32676, 4 August 1971, Page 28

Wulf out of two sports

(New Zealand Press association; AUCKLAND. E. Wulf, the New Zealand light heavy-weight boxing champion, who has been sacrificing big money in Australia to chase selection for the Kiwi Rugby league team, is now out of both sports for at least several months.

He has his right leg in plaster after knee surgery on Monday at Auckland Hospital.

He injured it in a club game against Ponsonby on Sunday. He was, however, already nursing the knee after wrenching it badly in a game with the New Zealand XIII when they were preparing for their match against the Australians at Huntly, in June. That put him out of football for a few games but he was back to help Marist to their Roope Rooster win and on his recent form he stood an outside chance of being selected in the Kiwis.

FORM IN TRIAL He played well in the trial that preceded the Auckland v. Waikato game on Saturday and he was to have had another game in front of the national selectors in the curtain raiser to the North v. South match on Saturday. The injury, the first in his four-year football career, has put an end to any immediate hopes of representing New Zealand at league.

His boxing income, already severely restricted by his obsession with Rugby league, will be cut completely for some months. Although he lost his only Australian fight, he made a good enough impression to receive further offers of bouts in Melbourne, to be televised. He could, according to his trainer, Mr G. Cammick, have been getting $6OO or even $750 for the bouts “win, lose or draw.” HEATLEY OUT M. Eade (Ellerslie), is taking the place of E. Heatley in the North Zone team on Saturday. Heatley, injured in the Auckland v. Waikato

game on Saturday, hopes to be back in training next week. The South Zone team members had their first run together at the Ellerslie Domain yesterday. The coach, Mr D. L. Blanchard, reported that they were all fit and well—apart from the West Coast half-back, N. Bennett, who could not travel north. He will be replaced by P. Brown (Canterbury).