Edkins one of six non- Auckland Kiwis

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 28

Edkins one of six nonAuckland Kiwis

By

JOHN COFFEY

Barry Edkins, the 21-year-old Canterbury loose forward found the situation all “a bit unreal” when he heard his name called among the 24 New Zealand rugby league representatives chosen for the tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, beginning on June 1.

One of nine new inter-’ nationals, Edkins learned of' his promotion to Kiwi status! when the team was an-! nounced amid an air of tension at the Auckland Leagues Club on Saturday: evening, but the news was only “starting to sink in” as; he received a flurry of con-1 gratulatory calls at his home) in Christchurch yesterday. |i “I thought that I had a! rough show of making it, al-i though I was not really con-11 fident,” Edkins said. “I just' tried to play my own style! in the trials and think that Ip went better on the Wednes- !

'day night — everyone was I very tired for the final matches on Saturday.” Edkins was one of three Canterbury players selected. The others, Michael 'O’Donnell and Alan Rushton, had their debut for New ! Zealand during the World I Cup series last winter and | have justifiably retained their positions. ! It was expected that there • would be a large contingent ■ from Auckland, but few isouthern observers could I have guessed to what extent the scales would be I tipped. Apart from the

5 Canterbury trio, only the 1 West Coast forwards, Tony Coll and Ray Baxendale, and ; the Wellington prop, Whetu . Henry, are not members of 1, Auckland clubs. •! The influx of Auckland ■’ l representatives was boosted JI by the selection of eight } ’ new Kiwis from that prov- ‘! ince — Warren Winter, Nick ! Wright, Toa Fepuleai, Steve ; iMcGregor, Shane Varley, t Glen Taylor, lan Bell and r Gary Prohm. i Among those who were - unfortunate to be excluded ! were Kevin Fisher, the : speedy Waikato wing who

appeared in all three 1977 World Cup fixtures, and Mark Broadhurst (Canterbury), who was one of the outstanding individuals in the floodlit trials and was given only 40 minutes to strengthen his claims as a second-rower on Saturday. Two survivors from the triumphant 1971 tour to Britain and France, John Whittaker (Wellington) and Dave Sorensen (Auckland), were also passed over and it would seem that their international careers have ended. Tom Conroy, who removed any doubts by declaring himself not available, and Mark Graham — both test forwards from Auckland who were not able to take part in the trials because of injury — were joined on the list of walking wounded by Auckland’s first-choice fullback, Gary Kemble. But if full-back was one of the problem positions for the selectors (Messrs Ron Ackland, Bill Sorenson and Harry Walker), the Kiwis will have a variety of choices in Australia. O'Donnell, Winter and Nick Wright have first-class experience there, Chris Jordan is more than capable of filling in, and the incredibly versatile Prohm alternates

between loose forward, sec-ond-row, centre and fullback. There have been three notable come-backs. Ken Stirling (Auckland) and his club-mate, Murray Eade, have had periods of temporary retirement since they originally wore New Zealand jerseys in 1971, and the Auckland prop, John Wright, has returned after three years of comparative obscurity.

Some of the new-comers had their potential noticed a considerable time ago. Nick Wright, Edkins and McGregor were all schoolboy Kiwis, while Bell was a member of the New Zealand Maoris pack which won the 1975 and 1977 Pacific Cup tournaments. Varley and Taylor have served Auckland splendidly as a scrum-half and hooker combination. The elusive Fepuleai is at present the leading tryscorer in Auckland club football. It is an indication of the national panel’s disregard for the skills of other provincial back-lines that O’Donnell is the only nonAucklander of the 13 backs .chosen. McGregor, for example, was plucked from the depths of the Auckland third division and preferred ahead of candidates with years of representative rugby league behind them. Many of the players have additional worth as utilities, in addition to Prohm and the bevy of specialist or parttime full-backs. Rushton can look forward to a busy tour, for he appears certain to be used as both hooker and prop.

The Kiwis, as a team, will be far less seasoned than their Australian rivals. Only Dennis Williams, Stirling, Eade and Coll have had more than 10 test matches, and they have a major responsibility to provide a solid nucleus around which their team-mates can seek to develop their talents. Jordan will probably be regarded as the principal goal-kicker with O’Donnell, Nick Wright, Williams, Edkins and Coll others who can be called upon for that duty.

The captain and vice-cap-tain will not be announced until the New Zealand Rugby League Council considers the selectors’ recommendations at a meeting on Wednesday evening.