League centre seeks to enhance record

Press, 6 May 1983, Page 8

League centre seeks to enhance record

It would hardly be surprising if the Auckland defence is instructed to keep a particularly close cover on the South Island centre, Bernie Green, during the Sony inter-districts championship rugby league match at the Show Grounds on Sunday. Green has consistently proved that he is capable of matching the representatives of the province which has, by tradition, developed this country’s most accomplished mid-field backs.

The worth of the strapping West Coast centre hds been emphasised by his feat of scoring a try in each of his three appearances against Auckland. The pattern was established at Carlaw Park in 1979 — the first season of inter-districts football — when Green’s try greatly assisted'.South to an 11-10

Proving that he has speed to complement his physical strength, Green repeated that effort in each of the next two seasons. His scoring sequence was interrupted last winter when he was forced to withdraw from the corresponding game because of an injury which caused him to be overlooked for the Kiwi tour to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Green’s prominence in the South attack earned him national honours with the New Zealand side which toured Britain and France three years ago. His high try-scoring average was hardly blunted overseas, and he touched down five times in his eight matches. In spite of the injury which limited his participation in the 1982 inter-dis-tricts series, Green is poised to become South Iskfid’s most capped rugby If/gue

player before the end of the present season. The encounter with Auckland on Sunday will be Green’s fifteenth game for South, placing him second equal with his former provincial captain, Tony Coll, and one behind Barry Edkins, who is now in Wellington.

Still ahead of Green this year are fixtures against New South Wales Country and Northern Districts.

At 24 years of age, Green will clearly add to his total considerably during his career. Already his experience must be a comfort to the South selectors — such has been the turnover of players that only Green, Mike Williams and David Field remain from the side which triumphed over the Australian tourists in 1980. JOHN COFFEY