Injured league man retires

Press, 9 August 1976, Page 3

Injured league man retires

By

JOHN COFFEY

John Rosanowski, one of the most dedicated and efficient all-round rugby league players in Canterbury

for the last decade, limped from the Show Grounds for the last time on Saturday and later announced his retirement. The only player with the unusual record of having appeared in representative football for Canterbury, New Zealand Universities (as captain). and New Guinea,

Rosanowski suffered a recurrence of an old ligament injury in his left knee while leading University-United against Woolston. It was with Linwood that Rosanowski made his premier debut in 1966. Used largely as a second-row forward, but with sufficient versatility to move around the oack or switch to standoff half, Rosanowski kicked

the goal in extra time for Linwood te beat Papanui in ’ the 1968 championship grand I final and was also in the side which easily accounted • for Marist-Western Suburbs I two years later. In all, Rosanowski accumulated 723 points for Lin- . wood, in spite of serving a two-year term as a high i school teacher in New Guinea, where he furthered his -ugby league career most successfully. His aggregate for Linwood and University was 870 points. Although a prominent figure in the establishment of the University Rugby League Club in Christchurch, Rosanowski did not transfer as a player until 1974, and his coaching and leadership have been an important factor in University remaining in, or on the verge of, the premier grade. Rosanowski missed most of last season because of ligament problems, and he was aware of the risk of a recurrence. It was with the regret that he would have to watch University’s progress in the premier B play-offs from the side-line that Rosanowski called an end of his playing days. As well as having earned the respect of team-mates and opponents on the field, Rosanowski has been active in club, schoolboy, and universitv administration, and the code will continue to benefit from his contributions.