FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

(By AaisroßOLos.)

RUQBY.

Lacking, in dash; and combination, the ! .:.;;. Fetono team could not complain at be- ":;'■ iiijj. so badly beaten, by St. James last .: ' Saturday. When one remembers how . hard Petone themselves were wont to y.-.r- play during the previous season, it says y ■:';■ a great deal for St. James, that they are : euch an improved side that-they are now ~-: Vable- to keep, them on the move through- ' out:a match. 'There should be a big gate ■•-.--'.". • when;Poneke and St. James meet—a week ■■-..- or. two- hence. '■'" .' '; .•; Cjlili. M. Gilray, the ex-Otago ~ and ;,,-. Scottish international three-quarter, who /..'•,-' ..retiredi from the game last season, is now ■ a u.vni'ul referee at Oxford. Colin Gilray -'. ■ has controlled- several.bigjmatches with ;-.,- -great Success. ■■■■'•',' ,' ''.''• ;: Wellington', in their engagement with Melrose' last ..Saturday played very dis- ..,; api-.oiiitingly. .Of the .forwards/ MTMlar .;',-: .was: easily the best, but he showed poor .'':'.'-- gen.'ralship. Apparently, he'did not take .-.'liiiuli interest in his pack, for time and :-. '.again' .they followed "up so leisurely that . it would not have,mattered if they had /: not-troubled. None of the backs showed .any vim, Sellars, 'at full-back, being '-,- alwut. the 'best' '•.-'• , ■ /.' -In returning thanks for re-election to J the presidency of the' Auckland BiF.TJ., Mi; A..- E. Devore said that many years' ■A ... hau .elapsed since he was elected; to this -,r Vposition;; it .was '20. years ago.. During- - tuiit time many changes had taken place,' '.{.; in : players, management; and the. game :.'' itseii; in fact, the game, a3 played 25 .:.'...years.'.ago arid now were said to be two ;.;' ,'iliiiei'ent games, and, as a matter of fact,. they were. The change had been for.the i :•-'; .- ■ better.'' : '.-;.-. -v"; ";., .' ' .-: '.' ■_■;.' :.,,;, .Mr the Pctonc rearguard, last Saturday V : the outstanding players, were Miller . at .;; fuli-hick: and '\fim" Eyan at five-eighths. ■/Time-after.-..time Miller went down to ';'■'''■'■'. rushes in a. manner .which might very welt bOjemulated by others who fill a like position.' Upon tha whole his kicking was -/.'.'• good,-but he appeared to be a trifle slow : '' ui gathering in the, oval at times. With- .-. out "Jim" Eyan.v Petone would' ,un-.,...-.jdoubtedly have been in a had way.. Al- ■',, :though :the St.- James ' players kept iv ~/.;. special eye on• him,' it did not 'prevent . • hini from doing a lot of effective work— •'.'-: and;-.he -was. kept 'busy 'throughout the ;■:.. contest-.'.'. .-.■ ;.'..''-V '-■■- I '. ■.'.' • ■;.'.'■,. ,-; Sandal, who played full-back for \. Oriental Senior has felt. Wellington for : Nelson to go 'farming/ His place will be ',--:, filled, by W. Sullivan,: who, it will be'rc- :■) .'-.■ , membered, was hurt in the benefit match', l'oneke v.' Oriental.'-. :. •; ■' ■.", ~ : . ', Melrose:' had a somewhat lucky win y. "':-. '.over Wellington at the Park ion Satur- . day, 'although it; has to be admitted that ./.'.they had'the best'of-tho gaine.. Only, one. '• ,1.;; of, their backs,: stood out prominently, and ; ':' that^was:Fraser, who'was called upon to " •do: a lot of work. 'In-tho pack, Trevor worked hard at times, but the others only •.'J.''-'.'- pl&',V!>d.,from moderately.well.to bad. ■- ■":.;:; Tf.ken.'on the whole,-the ; St; Jaries :■<■■:[ ; teabi used their forces to the best advan- .-.; .-.'Vtagfi,last Saturday. 1 ' There were' times ,- when their forwards made some slashing .V.. rushes;--In' these'Bruce arid Moffitt were -:;' invariably conspicuous. The backi 'did .':'',V:t!ic right thing in working the touch-line ■ '•;; for all it was worth in tbo second'spell. •V'-' - /What' St. .Tames badly need, however, is .. 'a couple of fast scoring wings:- At times '.■'".'■';■■ M'Giath .showed.' .up"• promisingly,, but • .: Crewes; on the other wing, was slow, and' ;' ; anything but, nippy.- ' Bradley ;I and H. . _JBoberts were the, "stars"- in the -back ; .-...../.... ■•■ ,■..■..■..,."..-'.■ /. ."Mere is," said Dr. Webb in, Melbourne recently,- "altogether- too much talk! and , ■'■■; too', much sport.!' in Australia. ' Visitors ■•':■. who come here eaythat, arid there is-not : a . true -Australian who' would deny . the '•'_. truth of it The decadence- of empires . has been.brought about by,'talk and sport ■>'-■■ ~ -I ,om in favour:of compulsory .military - 'training. 'It would at least keep' some people away from football matches.'What : '~- would be the,good,of footballers or talk- ..'..-■ ers'.in time; of ; war? With, the' encriiy •:■-"..• .within our .gates; theprice of footballers ■ ■:■',' would;be- two: : ii'.penny,-while orators ':.-.;-'.• -would be given 'liway free' with' a pound ~.. of tea.".,:(Larighter. and : applause.) ■ •■. .The .draw between; Oriental a'nd.South- .'." ern last' Saturday was,'.of oourse, one of -' ft l : surprises, of. the day. '■ Several : times ;;..i -Oriental .endeavoured to unloose"'■.their '•: backs ..upon Southern, but 'the Maroon : : forwards were on their-mettle, and dealt : ; : with all onslaughts. .Had not' the day ■■■ .been so ..boisterous, the ißlack-and-Whites ....would probably have' iihown ontsuperior ■;: .m attack, but:their margin of rictory, : : ::. under,the most, favourable weather, con- .; --d it ions, would not have, been large. :. " ', :"Ive3. , '' Campbell,' Southern. mng-for- ■ ■_■-. ward,'.played a valuable game on Satur- -;. , day, and, on form, may have to be con- "■.'• sidered by'the selectors when the representative fifteen; is chosen. ■".'.-'■".. '•".._ Houlihan, captain, led a willing lot of ;.-;•': forwards, two.of the most enthusiastic of ■:■■'.--. whomwere A; Burns (lock) and Guthrie (fourth grade last-year). ■ , "■'.'■■' Gallagher, Vat, half, was alert , and ..:••'. clever; Like other players on his side . ho.-.was roughly handled by one of the -'..;.Oriental'fonvards. ■;, It was not a' day for the backs'to display their'powers, . otherwise' the 'Southern,rearguard might have been found I wanting.: Cunningham and Johnston v (who has a. brother in' the pack), were on -the five-eighths line, and the ~- : ;ters comprised Gray (a new man), Flan-' ~ agan (brother of. "Poneke"■•.Flanagan);;. . ■.'.,-., end' Mitchell, who played a: good game ;:. ; in the opening, matoh. ■:'Harris, the;.full- ;..;.■;■ back, who played,.for the team last year, : . \ . yißs. distinctly' weak.. ■'•' After the'first few minutes it'.was.not •'surprising to the spectators that ■ ; the •■.:■':■..: Black-ahd-Wliites' did '- u6t ; . overwhelm :!,'" !.', their opponents. ' Southern were out to .;. , : ■ "do things," while Oriental had gone on ; tho field apparently regarding the match i as an easy •■ thing. When that state of •.;'... fi'clhig .exists any ' surprising result ..is ! possible. ■;•■'■ : : - -'-.- . ",- .-, • .':.' :Karori Recreation, Ground was used by ..the W.E.I'.U.,- for- a senior match, for the first time .last Saturday.. Inasmuch "•■■•' as. tho ground is a little way, from the . :present■ tram terminus, it is .not a very handy playing fieW .as far.'as sjiectators .are concernwl, but, when the tramway ■''.', extension . has been constructed, access .will of course lie much moro convenient. There were not. many.,onlookers at, last Saturday's match, Victoria College v. Old ■-■.'. Boys. ' ..', '' ' '■'-■'.''. ■'■.'; Old Boys were rather out in their cal- , Culations last, week, and suffered a drub- '•"-.. ' ting at the* hands of College. College ■'.' pltived a brisk game, only possible for a :well-coriditioned fifteen. Curtayne had .:.-• his men."going", in good heart,: and the : ■'-. Green forwards,., although lighter than 'their opponents, had an advantage aluiost right through the two spells. The -College team-is going lo work into a --:';." higher.place.on-the list this .season than ■-.'"': it has occupied for a'year, or two. ■ Sullivan, who, last year, was one of . Pctohc's' best players, and who toured ' .'Australia with .the: .1909 professioual 'team,'is .playing in the'league competi- ' Hon with North Sydney. • Sullivan is re- ■ ported to 'be-.in'top form at present, and his' inclusioir'in the New. South Wales ■' ; to meet -the 'Northern linion is practically certain. 'Galium,- erstwhile of '.'the Poneke Club, and a member''of the .' late .A. H. liaskeville's' team, is, at pre- ■ sent .an emergency for the ;same club. ' ■ ■''■'•■-.■'■'."Banji" Wilson's . footwork—and not not very 'gentle'.".footwork . either—was much iii evidence in the Athletic-Hutt match last Saturday. Apparently refer- '.'= ees are not so strict on this point, as ; was once the'case.'. ■' .■ Athletics were fortunate in being able ' .■.-■' to lay their hands, on such a substitute .:';?,; as -M'Vay. This young player held up V ' .iijs end in great style, and certainly is :!' deserving of further consideration. ■.;..! ■ '.'■ Eviinson's . resourcefulness showed o'in In the suburban match' last week,'- (jr. -' more than one occasion. He has a hapiiy ■'.., knack of being in the riisht pUeo. at file , right! time. And -when he gets there,' lie :,-; "■" nsually dops the right thing No doiibt .'. ho'.iirider<!tapds that oidy a limited.number of chances-comes'to each player in _••■-' ;.'-'•■? match; and it-is thp player who seizes them: who climbs to the top of the lad'v der.. ■'.'''.

Hutt's forwards. aro a fine lot, showing plenty of willingness, and dash, lint the backs aro misplaced. Selection committees or selectors sui ely should not need to wait till the 6eason closes before they try a change of places on the field, particularly in the back division. Kilminster satisfied the Kkv Ora Club that ho was a half-back, yet he is playing senior-grade football as a fivc-oighths. Logan,' Hutt's half-back, is a good understudy to his' brother, "Davy" Logan, of Wairarapa,.