Goal-kicking decides three league games

Press, 11 May 1981, Page 25

Goal-kicking decides three league games

is ?hn r f ri i ,ea 8 ue ’ s attractions stwin? g fh anty W J th which teams scoring the most tries emerge fin• h U fr i Om matc hes. But that unwritten rule did not apply when r a ntlT th round of theN.Z.I.G on SamrX PrCmierShip WaS held

Linwood, Halswel and Hornbv all Fk lne 1 j Jc^or * es - but in each case IX .k 1° rel y.°n goal-kicking after the try-scoring honours had been shared.

Both Linwood and Adington scored four tries in the main game at the Show Grounds. David Perkins was an able stand-in goalkicker for Linwood, hut the usually \cry consistent Blair Corkrah rrussod seven attempts and Addington fell behnd, 20-14. In the curtain-raiser, the 10 tries were equally divided between Halswell and Marist-Western Suburbs, while the Marist kicker, Tony Wildermoth, had some lapses, Michael Yule was accurate six times and Halswell won by 27-23. And thre were three tries apiece for Hornby and Papanui at Leslie Park. Bruce Cooper added two goals to Hornby's total, but Papanui tried Eddie Kerrigan, Kelvin Kelly and Doug Thompson without reaping .any points. One of Thompson's misses was disputed: one touch judge believed it was a goal, but the referee (Mr J. Baughan) ruled it out.

The other game was more predictable. Sydenham was always certain of a’ win over Kaiapoi. The margin was smaller than expected, though, and it was Kaiapoi which finished’the stronger. Linwood and Sydenham remain as the only unbeaten sides and share the lead Halswell, which has had one more match, now fills third position, with Eastern Suburbs — which had a bye — Addington and Hornby close behind. Two of the more dominant clubs of the past decade, Papanui and Marist, have fallen on lean times. Papanui has lost three games in a row, and Marist four. Results:— Linwood 20, Addington 14. Halswell 27, Marist-Western 23.. Hornby 13, Papanui 9. Sydenham 23, Kaiapoi 10. Eastern Suburbs bye.

? minutes against a depleted MaristWestern Suburbs. But the Marist captain-coach, Wayne O'Donnell, was not prepared to concede so easily and, with the enthusiastic assistance of John MacGougan and Tony Wildermoth, Marist all but achieved a remarkable victoryTwo tries each from O’Donnell and MacGougan had Marist in front for two brief terms, before Halswell struck back to go ahead, 27-18, with time running out. Even then Marist was not finished: a try by Glen Turton narrowed the gap to four points and another 50m attack almost turned the tide on the call of full-time. But it was not sufficient, and it was appropriate that the movement should founder on a spilled ball. Marist was effective only when O’Donnell, MacGougan and Wildermoth had possession. The other backs never combined smoothly and the tackling of the forwards was not forceful enough. Halswell would have collected its competition points . much more comfortably had. it not emulated Marist in spoiling promising manoeuvres with indifferent handling and passing. Halswell struggled for ball from set play, and in the final analysis the 15-8

penalty count in its favour, and Michael Yule's kicking, largely carried it through. David Baxter, whose selection as "player of the match” was announced as he was assisted from the field late in the match, was the most constructive of the forwards and deserved the try which took Halswell to a relatively safe position. Merv Manson and' Kevin Williams used their experience to good effect. but-.Halswell seldom reached a standard befitting its prominent place on the premiership table. SYDENHAM SAFE Sydenham was never in danger against Kaiapoi on the No. 2 ground. But Sydenham’s supporters might have expected more from their team than the somewhat scrappy display which was produced. Sydenham's right wing, Barney Williams, showed himself ready for future tussles when he finished off three try-scoring movements and relished the chances given him by the inside backs.

Many of Sydenham's other thrusts failed, though, because of handling errors at vital times. It was held at 2-2 by Kaiapoi until the twenty-second minute, when Williams crossed for the first time. A

big win seemed certain when the Sydenham hooker, John Tapiata, side-stepped two rivals to touch down.

Kaiapoi's cover was again lacking when Mark Vincent sprinted more than 50 metres and fended off the Kaiapoi full-back. Jack Clarke, to place Sydenham in front, 13-2, at half-time.'

A scoring spree was still possible when Williams added another try early in the second spell, but his third try 20 minutes later — and Karl Slave’s two conversions from wide angles — completed Sydenham’s scoring. Not for the first time this season, Kaiapoi proved its fitness when it dominated the final period. It had plenty of possession from scrums and penalties and was rewarded when Ray Howard and Dennis Neylons pierced the Sydenham line. the Sydenham effort was very lop-sided. On occasions David Field, Mark and David Vincent, and Williams moved with a.pace and precision that had Kaiapoi in all sorts of bother. Similarly, Kaiapoi also had its magic moments when Richard Hampton, Howard, and Neylons were in possession, but it had a long wait for any positive points return.

HORNBY'S LATE WIN All the evidence of territorial and possession advantages suggested Papanui should have won handsomely against Hornby on the latter's home ground at Leslie Park. But the serious lack of a reliable goal-kicker and a dearth of sufficient fit team members towards the end told severely on Papanui and the game slipped away from it in the final 10 minutes. Papanui's troubles really started when its captain-coach. Eddie Kerrigan. retired hurt midway through the first quarter. He had also been the first-choice goal-kicker. Then Kelvin Kelly failed with a conversion attempt from in front, and Doug Thompson was entrusted with the last three kicks, equally unsuccessfully although generally a bit closer than the others. In fact, one kick was close enough to be signalled successful by one touch-judge. The other kept his flag down, and the referee (Mr J. Baughan) also ruled it out: a critical decision, with Papanui then 9-5 in front and a successful kick being perhaps all it needed to keep the game safe. Even so, it seemed Papanui should not lose, for Mike Godinet

enjoyed a vast scrum advantage in the second half — 14-3, giving him an over-all margin of 22-9 — and Papanui could do everything but score.

But in those last 10 minutes all went wrong. Colin Archer, badly shaken in a heavy tackle, could doubtless remember nothing of the final period, and with him out on his feet and the full-back, Geoff Smith, spending a spell on the sideline receiving attention. Papanui's resources were stretched to breaking point. Thus, it came as no surprise that Hornby should canter over for two tries in twice as many minutes, and suddenly it was all over. There could be no denying the spirit of the young Hornby team, however. Dean Taylor led by example. and the second-rower, Ken Kinley, came more and more into his own as the game wore on. If none of the Hornbv back-line attracted individual attention, it was because they were all part of an outstanding defensive display. Their wholehearted tackling and covering was a major factor in their win.

Papanui relied to a great degree on its experienced men, Godinet, Thompson, John Cole.