Strong team to open tour

Press, 26 May 1984, Page 72

Strong team to open tour

By

JOHN COFFEY

Queensland Country will field its strongest possible line-up for the opening match of its rugby league tour of New Zealand, against South Island at the Show Grounds this afternoon. Only two changes have been made from the side which recently extinguished Auckland’s National Panasonic Cup hopes. The hooker, Greg Conescue, stayed in Brisbane with Queensland’s state squad, and the exciting young wing, Dale Shearer, has been rested because of injury. Although the co-manager, Bob Bateman, admitted yesterday that South Island was an unknown opponent, no attempt has been made to reserve any leading players for the return match with Auckland at Carlaw Park next Wednesday night. Mr Bateman said that the tour was designed to further lift the standing of the code in country districts, and the team selection emphasises the determination of the visitors to return home with an unbeaten record. The Queensland Country “itinerary” now extends beyond the fixture with Northern Districts at Rotorua next Saturday. On June 6 it is to oppose Eastern Suburbs in the second cup round, and a winning sequence in New Zealand would advance its prospects of reaching the quarterfinals. South Island, on the other hand, has to put behind it the disappointment of a narrow loss to Auckland in the national inter-districts final last Sunday. It also has to overcome the enforced withdrawal of three outside backs. The painful shoulder in-

jury suffered by Robin Alfeld at Auckland has caused him to vacate the full-back position and Boyd Kilkelly reverts to that role, Tony Wildermoth and Robert Moi Moi replace Richard Hampton and Pomare Connell in the three-quarters, and Mark Forsey is the new reserve. Ray Haffenden, the South Island coach, is confident that Moi Moi — the first Otago player to represent South for almost two decades — will acquit himself well. “He was the fastest man at the early-season coaching school,” said Mr Haffenden. “The players need no other incentive than the knowledge that Graham Lowe (the Kiwi coach) will be in the crowd. He was impressed with what he saw at Auckland, and will now be looking for consistency,” he said. Mr Lowe said from Auckland yesterday that Kiwi candidates could still play their way into the final New Zealand trial on June 30. Teams for that match are to be announced on June 17, and South Island, as a unit, has its last chance today to push for strong representation. The teams are: Queensland Country: Peter Gill; Steve Gibson, Harry Deemal, Robert Armstrong, Rod Brunker, Robert Tew, Colin Lindenberg; Marshall Colwell (captain), Paul Fitzgerald, Neil McCullagh; Les Morrissey, Jim Cowell; Danny Stains. Reserves: Greg Milne, Mark Hahn, Kevin Bocos. South Island: Boyd Kilkelly; Robert Moi Moi, Tony Wildermoth, Bernie Green, Marty Crequer, David Field (captain), Glen Gibb; Wayne Dwyer, Wayne Wallace, Ross Taylor, Scott Barrow, Russell Tuuta; Barry Edkins. Reserves: Mark Forsey, Lawrence Hale.