Reinstated player not eligible under union rules

Press, 27 February 1981, Page 24

Reinstated player not eligible under union rules

By

JOHN COFFEY

The New Zealand Rugby Union has contravened its rules relating to amateur* ism by reinstating the former Canterbury and South Island rugby league forward, Rex Dalzell. Dalzell spent the 197677 British season with the Warrington club in England, and confirmed yesterday that he had received monetary payments for playing rugby league for Warrington, Canterbury and the Linwood club.

At Dalzell’s request, the Canterbury Rugby Union did not make the application for reinstatement public when it was received, and supported, at a

meeting in January. It was passed on to the N.Z.R.F.U. for approval.

However Dalzell’s rugby league record is such that he was not eligible for reinstatement. Rule 6 of that section of the laws as listed in the 1980 New Zealand Rugby Union handbook states that “any player who is known to have received money or monetary consideration is not eligible for reinstatement.”

If that was not enough, the rules of amateurism go even further.

Rule 2.6 says: No person who is or has been associated in any active capacity with a non-ama-teur rugby club or organisation . , . shall partici-

pate in the playing - , . of the game. Warrington, as one of the 22 clubs which broke away from the English Rugby Union to form the Northern Union (now rugby league) is, of course, one of the “nonamateur rugby clubs or organisations” at which that wording is directed. Dalzell said ysterday that he had made no mention of his term — in company with the former Kiwi centre Lewis Hudson — with Warrington, he also admitted that he had under estimated the payments that he had ’received for playing in this country. “I was under the impression that that question on the application form

related to New Zealand only. I was not asked whether I had been a member of any overseas club, and do not see why that should be applicable,” Dalzell said. “After all Brian McKechnie has been earning money for playing cricket in Australia. It hardly seems fair to me,” he said.

Dalzell also agreed that he had been under contract with Linwood for the last two seasons and that he had accepted his share of the win bonuses offered Canterbury representatives.

The Linwood club captain (Mr Keith Palermo) said yesterday that Dalzell had been paid “a four-fig-ure sum” for his services

to the club in 1979 and 1980. “They were not travelling expenses, be-

cause only the representative players were contracted. Rex was paid for last year even though he went to Auckland for a while, was injured, and in all made only about seven appearances.” “I am not trying to get at Rex — it is the hypocritical attitude of the rugby union in using its rules to suit itself that annoys me,” Mr Palermo said.

“Rugby union has always cried rugby league down and suppressed it at schools level because of alleged professionalism, yet it will glady accept a player who is known to have been paid. “Obviously the rugby union does not do any homework before reinstat-

Ing players. Linwood Is disappointed this has happened in such fashion, but would welcome Rex back if he changes his mind,” Mr Palermo said. Now aged 26, Dalzell was a schoolboy Kiwi and captain of the New Zealand 19-years rugby league team in 1973. The next season he was promoted to the Canterbury A side and has been a reasonably regular selection having had 23 matches for the province. He was a replacement in two games for South Island in 1979. After returning from his short transfer to Auckland last year, Dalzell divided his football activities between premier rugby league for Linwood and appearances for a lower

grade rugby union team. Dalzell is now employed by the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board, which is sponsor of rugby union in Canterbury, but he said that was a minor consideration in his decision to switch codes, and that no pressure had been placed upon him. Albion is the rugby union club linked with Dalzell’s reinstatement, although he said that Belfast had also invited him to a trial. To those accustomed to Dalzell packing down in rugby league front-rows, it is a surprise to find that he intends to return to his old Riccarton High School first XV position of second five-eighths in rugby union.