No rest for top trio

Press, 9 August 1980, Page 16

No rest for top trio

By

JOHN COFFEY

The resilience of Mark Broadhurst. Kevin Franklin and Michael O’Donnell is likely to have a major bearing on the outcome of the Canterbury N.Z.I.G. rugby league premiership which ends at the Show Grounds tomorrow. Once again, Marist’s three South Island representatives have to back up after a tough match at a northern venue — against Central Districts at Wellington today — for a vital club encounter.

Marist is opposed by Addington, a side which

has the motivating knowledge that it must win or draw to slip ahead of Sydenham and into the championship play-offs. Marist, for its part, requires a victory to share the Massetti Cup with Eastern Suburbs and .at least a draw to qualify for next week-end’s major semi-final.

It is probably unique that one game should be so crucial to five clubs, a situation that would not even change if Hornby upset Eastern or if Papanui failed to beat Kaiapoi by sufficient points to head off Marist’s narrow (132 to 125) advantage in scoring percentages. A belated complaint from Marist that it had been unfairly treated by the Canterbury Rugby

League’s match. committee fell on deaf ears at this week’s meeting of the provincial board of control. Marist was critical, that it had been drawn in an early game against Papanui on July 13, when its three South Island players arrived just a few minutes before the kick-off after a delayed flight from Hamilton.- - ■ .’' ■

After leading by- seven points, Marist lost, 10-7, to PapanUi, a result that, in the final accounting, could cost it sole possession of - the Massetti Cup as well as the Barr Cup, which had been at. stake in that game. There was a veiled hint in Marist’s letter that players might lave to choose between club and first-class football in future, and an unfair reference to the referee, Mr Ken Blackler, having been a former Papanui hooker. Mr Blackler has been appointed to control Marist’s match . with Addington, but what should be of more concern to Marist is its inability to win even a reasonable share of scrum possession. Only Eastern has a better defensive record than Marist — a testimony to Marist’s ten-

acity at the tackle — but Eastern has been under far less pressure. Addington has. beaten Marist once (in 1977) in their last 11 meetings. However, it has impressed with its displays over the second half o'f the premiership and has had a better recent preparation than a Marist side which scrambled to beat Hals-, well and last Saturday had a day of inactivity because of the bye. ■