Graham out for test

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 48

Graham out for test

NZPA Sydney The New Zealand rugby league captain, Mark Graham, has pulled out of the side to meet Australia in the second test in Brisbane on Saturday. The coach, Graham Lowe, said yesterday that Graham damaged knee ligaments in the first test at Carlaw Park a fortnight ago, and he had not recovered.

"Time was against him and he couldn’t get right in time,” he said. A former Kiwi captain, Graeme West, resumes the role for Saturday night, Kurt Sorenson comes off the reserve bench for the second row, and the New Zealand Maoris captain, lan Bell, an Auckland and Manakau forward, has been brought into the side as a reserve.

Graham’s withdrawal is the second injury blow to Mr Lowe’s plans for the series — he lost the dynamic heavyweight centre, Olsen Filipaina, with a broken ankle before the first encounter.

The side has been in Brisbane since Sunday night, and apart from Graham’s withdrawal, Mr Lowe has had no problems. “They’ve been training well and I think they’ll have a good chance,” he said. “We’ve got a well balanced side and if all our players fire we’ll do well.” He rejected claims by the Australian coach, Arthur Beetson, that the New Zealanders would not be able to improve on their first test performance. “We’ll improve on last time — but I don’t know whether they (the Australians) will,” he said.

“Well be a far better side.”

The Australian team contains nine of the Queensland side that outclassed New South Wales, 2-1, in the recent interstate series, giving the Kangaroos and their Queensland coach, Mr Beetson, more cohesion and a team platform to work from.