Talented Sydney league side to oppose Canterbury

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33034, 29 September 1972, Page 20

Talented Sydney league side to oppose Canterbury

(By

J. O. COPPEY

Three teen-agers who have shown great potential in the demanding world of Australian professional Rugby league and one of the most proficient goal-kickers in Sydney are included in the Western Suburbs team to meet a Canterbury XIII at the Show Grounds tomorrow.

The youngsters who have particularly impressed the tourists’ manager (Mr W. Beaver) are the threequarters, J. Heywood (18) and R. Mullins (19) and the 15st second-row forward N. Moroko (19).

Heyward represented Svdnev seconds in the annual fixtures against New South Wales Country in May, taking only nine games to attract the attention of the selectors after his promotion from the junior ranks. Equally proficient at fullback, Mullins has pace and size on the wing and appeared in every first grade match this season. The powerful Moroko has already been tipped as a future international, although he is playing the shadow of the World Cun forward, J. Elford.

The accuracy and length achieved by’ the full-back and

goal-kicker, A. Ford, has enabled him to contribute more than a century of points for Western Suburbs in each of the last five seasons. He accumulated a total of 127 from 16 games this year before having an appendix operation. In the final round of the Sydney premiership. Western Suburbs beat the glamour club; South Sydney, 39-20, and it will field eight members of that successful side against the Canterbury XIII. They include the front row combination of J. O’Bryan—who was chosen for Sydney firsts against Country, is 21 years of age and weighs 15st 71b—P. Handcock and G. Skeers. The loose forward, J. Baker, is a youthful veteran of five seasons of first grade Rugby league and has taken over the captaincy from the Kangaroo scrum-half, T. Raudorrikis.

Raudonikls, Elford and the former Australian Rugby union centre, S. O. Knight, were not available to travel

because of their commitments with the World Cup squad. Their places have been filled by reserves. The coach, Mr D. Parish, was a utility back and leading points scorer with the 1961 Australian tourists in this country. He more recently guided Illawarra Western Suburbs to three title successes in four years, returning to his former Sydney club earlier this year in a non-playing capacity. Mr Beaver, speaking from Wellington yesterday, said that club officials had been “a little disappointed” in not finishing higher than seventh in the Sydney competition. Any injury to Knight and the absence of Elford and Raudonikis on representative duty had largely contributed towards Wests winning onlytwo fixtures in the second round after being well placed to reach the semi-finals. The major aims of the New Zealand visit—the squad has been on a sight-seeing tour of I the North Island and will also

meet a West Coast XIII at Greymouth—were to serve as a reward to the more seasoned players and to groom youngsters for next season. A training run was held in Wellington yesterday and another is planned in Christchurch this afternoon.

With such a talented and speedy back-line, Western Suburbs may be expected to produce a pleasing style tomorrow. There will also be keen interest in the performances of Canterbury’s World Cup trialists, M. W. J. O’Donnell, M. P. Brereton, G. R. Cooksley, D. Brown and R. S. Walker. Canterbury XIII.—M. W. J. O’Donnell; M. P. Brereton, W. Wright, J. B. Craig, W. R. Green; P. R. H. Brown, G. R. Cooksley; K. G. Wakelin, D. Brown I. J. Dalzell; G. R. Findlay, S. Hatipow; R. S. Walker (captain). Reserves: B. Murphy, P. D. Jones. Western Suburbs.—A. Ford; R. Mullins, J. Heyward, J Glachan, A. Ashmore; N. Sinclair, C. Withers; G. Skeers, P. Handcock, J. O’Bryan; T. Rose, N. Moroko; J. Baker (captain). Reserves: T. Reardon, M. Anderson.