Edkins out of league match

Press, 28 August 1982, Page 60

Edkins out of league match

By

JOHN COFFEY

Hornby will be without its international utility player, Barry Edkins, when it meets Kaiapoi in the preliminary final of the N.Z.I.G. Canterbury rugby'league championship at the Show Grounds this afternoon.

Edkins suffered pulled, stomach muscles during Hornby’s semi-final loss to Addington last Sunday, and has not recovered sufficiently to return to his standoff half role.

Although acknowledging that Hornby will miss Eakins’s experience and various kicking skills, the coach, Brian Langton, had a positive outlook — “we felt it was best to leave him on the side-lines until the grand final,” he quipped. However, Hornby must first turn back what is sure to be a positive challenge from Kaiapoi to earn the right to oppose Addington in the grand final on September 5.

The return of the incisive Vaughan Low will partly compensate for the absence of Edkins, and Hornby has the psychological advantage of having twice beaten Kaiapoi by convincing margins during’ the premiership. Mr Langton and his squad have used videotapes to analyse the defeat by Addington in the semi-final. “Two tries went begging in the first half. We played badly, yet could still have won,” Mr Langton said.

Kaiapoi also has prematch anxieties caused by injuries. It was without one of its regular props, Gary Kitson, last week when it eliminated Eastern-Hertz. While its two remaining championship rivals clash at the Show Grounds, Addington is to become the first Canterbury side to appear in the national Wrangler Cup competition. Its preliminary round match is against Waikiwi Warriors in Invercargill tomorrow.