Halswell could upset $20,000 bid

Press, 27 September 1986, Page 35

Halswell could upset $20,000 bid

By

JOHN COFFE

Canterbury’s representatives, Halswell and Hornby, stand between the Auckland rugby league champion, Mt Albert, and its bld to finish the season with a $20,000 flourish.

A handsome victory over Te Atatu in the Auckland grand final boosted the Mt Albert bank account by $lO,OOO, and it is favoured for an equally lucrative first prize from the Lion Red national knock-out tournament.

Mike McClennan, the Mt Albert coach, was bold enough to go well beyond that expectation after the 31-4 humbling of Te Atatu. He reminded journalists that Mt Albert had seven players in the Auckland team which beat Britain, 18-16, in 1984, the year that it also won the Tusk Cup. Looking ahead, Mr McClennan contended that Mt Albert should have similar representation in the New Zealand side to meet the French tourists in 1987 — presumably after going through the for-

mality of capturing the Lion Red title. No-one doubts that Mt Albert, having claimed five of the last six Auckland championships, has an outstanding record at provincial level. But in three national competitions it has just once reached the final. Of those seven who assisted in beating the British two years ago, only John Ackland is no longer with the club. The others, Darrell Williams, Cedric Lovett, Ricky Cowan, Lindsay Hooker, Stephen Howells and Shane Cooper, will all be in action against Halswell at the Addington show Grounds tomorrow.

Williams, an outstanding all-round full-back, is completing his Mt Albert commitments before joining ManlyWarringah in Sydney. In addition to Lovett, a goal-kick-ing wing, the centres, Paddy Tuimavave and Peter Kelly, and the scrum-half, Brian McClennan, have represented Auckland.

The astute ball distribution of Cooper is now made from

the loose forward position, though he has international experience as an inside back. In each of the last two national tournaments Mt Albert eliminated Hornby in Christchurch. But it cannot afford to under-estimate Halswell, particularly as the Canterbury runner-up should be restored to full strength for the encounter. Mr McClennan’s high public opinion of his players must be sufficient incentive for the Canterbury clubs to dent a few reputations. If Mt Albert wins tomorrow, its semi-final opponent should be Hornby. However, Halswell would cause further embarrassment by upsetting Mt Albert because the semi-final is set down for Carlaw Park. ■First, Hornby has a fairly tough assignment in opposition to Huntly South at Huntly tomorrow. The home squad includes the O’Callaghan brothers, Vaun and Brett, a former New Zealand inside back, Bill Kells, the New Zealand Maoris prop, Lorne Green, two Kiwi trialist forwards, Bill Ashurst and Trevor Clerk, and the penetrative Waikato centre, Walter Toka.

The Hornby coach, Frank Endacott, is confident that his sturdy stand-off half, Brendon Tuuta, will nullify the playmaking of Kells. Barry Edkins is back in the second row.

The other quarter-finals tomorrow will be in Wellington, where the home teams, Upper Hutt and Randwick, take part in a double-header against Pikiao (Bay of Plenty) and Te Atatu (Auckland)