League lift needed

Press, 7 August 1976, Page 52

League lift needed

By

JOHN COFFEY

Mr Jim Fisher, the Canterbury rugby league coach, will be looking for a more positive attitude from his players when they oppose West Coast in the most vital of the three fixtures between the provinces this season at the Show Grounds this afternoon.

Canterbury has stumbled to a disappointing record of one win (comfortably over West Coast at Christchurch) and three losses (the most recent being by two points at. Greymouth), and Mr Fisher has frequently noticed a lack of enthusiasm in his squad. There was a heartening improvement at training during the week — “the bext runs we have had” — and Mr Fisher believes that Canterbury will respond to the incentive of the Rothmans semi-final. Victory over West Coast would provide Canterbury with a home defence of its national title in September and probable inclusion in the 1977 Amco Cup series in Australia, lia.

Two factors have only marginally clouded his confidence. The late withdrawal of Lewis Hudson, who has not recovered from injury, will lead to some

reshuffling of the outside backs, and the amount of rain which has fallen will lessen Canterbury’s advantage in speed. Gary Taie, who has impressed in assisting Papanui to its unbeaten premiership run, has been brought into the centres. Mr Fisher said that it was not yet decided whether Leon Paskell or Mocky Brereton would be switched to the wing to replace Hudson, but Paskell is the logical choice.

In his two previous apperances against West Coast this season Brereton has contributed three tries. To place him on the wing would only restrict his op-

portunities and relieve West Coast of one of its biggest problems. The new back reserve is Hillman Hornbrook, who has claimed 26 tries in all matches for Hornby.

Mr Fisher is not too concerned that Canterbury was well beaten in the scrums at Greymouth; he laid the blame at the door of the local referee (Mr Ted Gutberlet), rather than finding fault with his own frontrow.

“No matter who was hooking, if he had had a garden rake tied onto the end of his boots he would not have got to the ball. It reminded me of the days when Jock Butterfield and Trevor Kilkelly used to run the games and referees on the Coast,” Mr Fisher said.

Even after two preliminary fixtures, Mr Fisher still regards West Coast as “an unknown quantity” because of the vastly different natures of the earlier meetings. However, he has much respect for the forwards, Tony Coll and Bill Hargreaves, and the fast wing, John Low.

‘‘Ove r-all, Canterbury should be a lot stronger, quicker and more experienced. With these three points in our favour, we must win,” Mr Fisher said.