Barry Harvey cleared to play

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 44

Barry Harvey cleared to play

By

JOHN COFFEY

Barry Harvey, the Wellington rugby league captain and hooker, has been cleared, in controversial circumstances, to play against Canterbury at the Basin Reserve on Sunday. When Harvey was sent from the field in the last minute of his Rand wick Club’s match against Petone last week-end, he seemed destined to become yet another promin-

ent player to be suspended on a high tackle charge. But Harvey was given only a warning by the Wellington Rugby League judiciary. Predictable denials were made concering the importance of the pending encounter with Canterbury to Harvey’s football future. Harvey was dropped from the New Zealand side after the first test

against Australia earlier this month, and needs an impressive effort on Sunday to reinforce his chances of touring Britain arid . France in company with his Kiwi successor, Duane Mann, of Auckland. Ironically, Harvey had returned to the test frontrow virtually by default When his great rival of recent seasons, Wayne Wallace, incurred a long suspension after being

-? fpiind guilty of a high V tackle in a Canterbury < club match. ; i' The leniency shown Harvey has prompted a protest from Petone club officials, who have given examples of other players sitting out. suspensions for similar offences. Although opposing cap- :■ tains; Harvey and Wallace; ywill not meet head-on in scrums on Sunday. ; .Wallace is to lead Canterbury from the second-row.