Papanui’s general slips off the league scene

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 26

Papanui’s general slips off the league scene

By

JOHN COFFEY

A generation of rugby league coaches in Canterbury were driven, if not to drink, then at least to distraction in unsuccessfully searching for a formula to diminish the effectiveness of Papanui’s master tactician, Rod Walker.

A few of them enjoyed rare moments of triumph, but the great majority were left with their heads in their hands as potentially-winning tricks were emphaticallly euchred by a player whose skills and wiles placed him above all others in the province for more than a decade.

Walker has quietly announced his retirement after 13 seasons and more than 250 appearances in premier football. It was expected, but he did not wish to make it official until after he played in the testimonial match to Mocky Brereton 10 days ago. On that afternoon, he provided plenty of evidence for the Invitation XIII that he still has the knack of creating try-scoring chances, even against a Kiwi XIII. But so far he has resisted exhortations to make himself available again for Papanui.

The Papanui club’s emphasis on developing the talents of its junior members ensures that it need have no qualms for the future. However. it is inevitable that some period of transition will be required before, it adequately fills the yawning gap that will be left by Walker’s abdication.

Already, the comparatively short history of the club can be divided into two distinct periods. It had many fine footballers but few titles in the davs before Walker. That was to change in the 19705, as the Tigers reached eight consecutive grand finals and bowed just once, to Eastern Suburbs in 1975. As a young loose forward who had made his first-class debut in his alternative role of stand-off half a few months earlier, Walker had been a member of the Papanui side which lost to Linwood in extra time in the match which decided the 1968 championship. Three years later Walker received the first of his winner’s medals after a 27-8 success over Addington. He was again one of Gary Clarke's most valuable and

victorious lieutenants 12 months later, captained Papanui to its 1973 and 1974 titles, and was both captain and coach when the club completed premiershipchampionship ■ doubles in 1976, 1977 and 1978.

It was inevitable that Walker's natural affinity with the complexities of rugby league would carry him to higher honours: Although not always available because of his club coaching responsibilities. Walker, in 1977, was the first to at tain a milestone of 50 matches for Canterbury, a figure since bettered only by Brereton.

In the developing stages of Walker's career it appeared certain that he would ultimately lead his country at senior level, as he had done on tours to Australia with New Zealand schoolboy and under-23 teams. That did not eventuate, for Walker’s rather brief international term never moved with the smoothness one might have expected of such a gifted player. He had four

tests, three of them as a replacement (on one. occasion taking over from Trevor Patrick in his old role of scrum-half), and travelled to France with the 1972 World Cup squad. There were mitigating circumstances. A broken bone in a foot forced his withdrawal from the 1970 World Cup in England, and he was unfortunate to he a contemporary of a. truly outstanding loose forward from Auckland, Tony Kriletich.

If the national selection panels of the time made only scant use of Walker's abilities, then their attitudes contrasted sharply with the high regard in which he was held by team-mates and opponents in club football. Walker was a dominating character on the field, but he was ever a team man. He stamped his mark on many a match simply by making others look good. In his hustling, somewhat bow-legged style, Walker was a perfect play-maker. All those alongside him bene-

filed — the three-quarters learned to thrive on his long, spiralling deliveries, promising young forwards attained their attacking potential by surging off Walker's shoulder and on to his deft flick passes around the rucks. "Astute distribution" became a cliche when journalists referred to Walker. When further variation was required. Walker brought his tactical and line kicking into action. His first, scoring contribution for a Papanui premier side was a field goal. He was to add 77 tries — often the result of having persuaded his rivals that he had not. the least intention of having a solo dab — and 190 placed goals for a total of 613 points. On defence. Walker had the aura to drive his men beyond the usual limits. Perhaps he was not a covering loose forward in the classic mould, but only the best leaders are able to exhort their fellows to raise the man-for-man tackling barriers that made so many games safe for Papanui. Walker, as a captain, was not. reluctant to pass on his opinion to any referee he felt

had done his side an injustice. Never to the extent, though, that Walker lost sight of the main purpose of the afternoon's sport, or his control of the situation. The referees, for their part, lodged many of the votes which won for Walker the 1980 Canterbury rugby league “sportsman of the year" title. Some persuasion was necessary by Papanui officials to retain Walker's services in recent years, as if attempting to delay the inevitable. At 32 years of age. Walker has called an end to a playing association which began’ with the club in schoolboy ranks.

It is now a little unreal to watch a Papanui side running onto the Show Grounds without Walker leading it out, that perennially purposeful expression on his face, head held high as if sensing the oncoming battle. Walker leaves with the satisfaction that the club's “tiger cubs" are all the more qualified to carry on because he had been there to show them the way.