‘Odds against southerners’

Press, 22 May 1978, Page 28

‘Odds against southerners’

Players from provinces other than Auckland “had the odds stacked right against them” in their attempts to earn selection for the New Zealand rugby league tour of Australia and Papua New Guinea, according to the Southern Zone coach, Mr Trevor Bisman. “It was unfair that they had to go to Auckland, perform before an Auckland crowd, and were included in sides that were largely comprised of Aucklanders who] made a point of leaving the , southerners out in the cold,” Mr Bisman said.

“I am also critical that the final trial should include a full Auckland side against a team that also had more Aucklanders than anyone from anywhere else. Trial squads should be just that, and not slanted so that Auckland players have the benefit of combinations built up at club level,” he said.

Mr Bisman was bewildered at the omission of the Canterbury second-row forward, Mark Broadhurst, from the touring party.

“Broadhurst is really a Kiwi — or should be. He did everything right to the letter in his match preparations, had a very good trial on Wednesday night and tackled extremely well as a replacement on Saturday. At 23 years of age, he would

i blossom into a top footballer lon a tour like that,” Mr Bis-

man said. There were instances of southern players complaining that they were deliberately being ignored when their teams had possession. Mr Bisman said that one Canterbury trialist overheard a pre-game discussion by some of his “teammates” involping manoeuvres which were to be i carried out only by the ‘Aucklanders in the side.

! “We went up there and were put into a hotel and didn’t see the Auckland feljlows until just before the trials. A few came back with ius for some drinks after | they were over, but generally there was no mixing. I coached one of the early ■trial teams on Saturday, and only met three of the local ! players 15 minutes before i the kick-off,” Mr Bisman said. i “Some of the southerners ■dropped out of the running because they had no real opI portunities,” he said. “It could have been even worse — Michael O’Donnell vomited from illness before the i last trial and felt as weak as a kitten, but he managed to win the only place given to a back from outside Auckland.”

Results of trials: — Auckland 20, Rest 9; Red team ■2O, Gold team 3.