Canty’s league credibility on the line

Press, 23 September 1988, Page 48

Canty’s league credibility on the line

By

JOHN COFFEY

The credibility of Canterbury rugby league club football is very much in Halswell’s hands in Wellington on Sunday. Halswel, the Canterbury champion, meets its Wellington counterpart, Petone, in a quarter-final of the Lion Red Cup knock-out tournament. Although it is Halswell’s first encounter with Petone, the match presents it with an opportunity to prove it is capable of overcoming a Wellington opponent. Wellington teams have been responsible for the exit of Halswell from three previous tournaments — Randwick in 1984 (6-18) and 1987 (1252) and Upper Hutt in 1985 (4-10). There is cause for some confidence that Halswell will advance to the last four in the competition. While it was easily accounting for Foxton Rebels at Foxton, Petone struggled last Sunday to a narrow home win over the West Coast entrant, Cobden-Kohinoor. After some early reversals, Halswell’s performances have improved throughout the season. Petone, however, might have been suffering from a post-grand final trough last week-end and will be strengthened by the return of its former Kiwi inside back, James Leuluai, and Australian player-coach, John Forbes.

A place in the national final — the curtain-raiser to the World Cup final at Eden Park on October 9 — is not out of the question for the winner. The probable semi-final rival, Te Atatu, will be without its Kiwi trialists, Peter Brown, Mark Elia and Mark Horo, on October 2. The other quarter-finals are between Flaxmere Falcons (Hawke’s Bay) and Kaiti Devils (Gis-borne-East Coast), Pacific (Midlands) and Te Atatu, and Glenora (Auckland) and Upper Hutt. While Halswell tilts for a top spot, three other Canterbury clubs, Sydenham, Kaiapoi and Linwood, nervously await the outcome of the last of the promotion-relegation fixtures at the Addington Show Grounds tomorrow. If Sydenham beats Kaiapoi, as expected, the clubs will be locked in a three-way tie for only two positions in the eight-team 1989 premiership. Sydenham needs victory over Kaiapoi to qualify automatically on points-scoring percentages. Should Kaiapoi restrict Sydenham to about an eight-point margin it would save its premier status. Linwood must depend on Sydenham achieving a more emphatic victory. Once the players have done their part, the officials of the demoted club face their own test of character in planning for a means of regaining promotion in 1990.