Papanui rebuilder to step down

Press, 22 September 1978, Page 24

Papanui rebuilder to step down

By

JOHN COFFEY

Rod Walker intends to complete a brief, but extremely successful, club rugby league coaching career when he leads Papanui against Sydenham in the Canterbury championship grand final at the Show Grounds on Sunday. “After four years as coach, I feel it is time that the team had a new voice and a change of ideas,” Walker said yesterday. However, Walker will not be retiring to the side-lines. The former Kiwi loose forward will continue playing, free of the responsibilities of having to devise the prematch plans which have made Papanui quite decisively the leading club in the province during his term at the helm.

Walker assumed the dual roles of captain and coach in 1975, when Papanui was headed off by Eastern Sub-urbs-Hertz in both the premiership and championship. In each of the last two seasons Papanui has achieved double triumphs in both those competitions and it enters the grand final as the

winner of a third consecutive premiership. Under Walker’s guidance Papanui has fashioned an outstanding record. It has had 79 fixtures against other Canterbury clubs for 68 victories, two draws and only nine losses. Papanui also retained the Thacker Shield against the West Coast titleholder in 1976 and 1977 and will earn the right to defend that prize if it beats Sydenham on Sunday. Papanui was unbeaten throughout the 1976 season and the following year it extended its total of succes-

sive wins to 30 before drawing with Linwood. The Tigers then defeated three other teams before being headed off by Sydenham, its first loss in 35 appearances. The Papanui camp has suffered one set-back because of the injury which will prevent Peter Tairi from taking his place at stand-off half. Tairi dislocated his right shoulder during the preliminary final against Marist-Western Suburbs last Sunday and his replacement, Kelvin Jones, will this time be in the starting line-up. Because of a number of circumstances, Tairi was Papanui’s only representative in the Canterbury squad which travelled to Auckland

for the national Rothmans tournament final, and he sat on the reserves’ bench for that match. But Papanui is certainly not short on players with first-class experience. Walker himself decided to concentrate on club football after reaching a milestone of 50 games for Canterbury, and Kevin Williams, Ken Tait, Eddie Kerrigan, Gary Taie, Danny Millward and Mike Godinet are others to have worn the provincial colours at premier level. Carey Blazey, a prop who was also hurt when Papanui eliminated Marist, suffered from slight concussion but has been able to train this week. Apart from Tairi, the only absentee from the squad is the reserve hooker, Mark Pfifer, who had his appendix removed a few days ago.

The last injury doubts were whisked from the mind of the Sydenham coach, Gary Clarke, when the sec-ond-row forward, Stewart Hogg, and the stand-off half, David Field, reported that their leg troubles had cleared. Two fixtures will precede the grand final. The first curtain-raiser, between the Northern and Southern zone 19-years sides, will bring together many of this country’s most promising footballers, and the Linwood and Hornby clubs will be vying for the Gore Cup in the bot* tom four final.

Cycling.—Two Australians, Danny Clark and Don Allen, won the Skol six-day cycle race at the Wembley arena. Thev beat the Dutch pair of Gerrie Knetemann and Jan Haas, and the German pair of Wilfred Peffgen and Albert Fritz. Volleyball.—The defending 'hampion. Poland, cruised to a four-set win over Finland in the opening round of the world olleyball championships at 'tome, which provided no major upsets.