FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 17 June 1911, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

RUUBY. tßr Arist'obuids.l " THE NEW PAST'FASHION, Petone's Waterloo. Tho exciting battle- between Poneko and Potono, and tho excited shoiitiiifj of the 40()0 spectators mailo onp think that tho hour and a half spent at tho Park last Saturday was far from wasted. It was a magnificent game, and surely no ono could wish for better. Poneko had not shown such form at any previous stage of this season's fixtures. In their opening match- they walked all over Melrose, and promised big things, but tho weaknesses visible in that match brought them defeat from stronger teams. So tho teams which met last Saturday wero tho head of tho championship ladder (Petone) »nd the middle rung (Poneke). Tho top team was beaten after a struggle which will be remembered for many a- day.

Somehow or other the spectators got it into their heads before the match that Poneke was going to make things very imerry for the team which had defeated several of Poneke's victors. Public opinion began to get justified immediately tho whistle sounded "war declared." Poneke knew that they had to exert themselves to their utmost, and that every man's every ounce had to be spent on the field that day. From start to finish the Red and Blacks kept up "full steam." ■ Half-way through tho contest, the authority on the stand informed tho audience" that Poneko couldn't last the pace; Potono would win; training would tell. Poneke lasted the pace; they were going harrier than ever at the finish. Petone did not die on it. cither. Both teams endured tho hottest game that has been played in the city this season, and wero still going like ..tigers when ..the whistle stopped them. And Poneko had Von by six points (two tries) to three .points (one try). ■ ' . How Poneke Won. As it was pointed out in Monday's Dominion, Poneke won by the style of forward rush they adopted—the ( relay system—but to what extent this "adoption" was prearranged none but Poneke can say. It looked as though the efforts ; on tho field were tho result of a fine ;pieco of training. Even if the whole performance was accidental, it remains a fact that, this incomparable- system of forward rush- was tho chief factor in tho win of the Ponekes.. Thp back play of Poneke team was careful, and usually wise. Tilyard , mado particularly good use of the line. > '■'-When"the forwards had placed their backs within striking distance, it frequently happened that the impetus of the Petone vanguard would spoil the contemplated attack. The Poneko man with tho ball would immediately abandon, his intention of passing out and find the lino near Petone's corner flag. Thus the •risk of losing the ground 'gained was : avoided, and Poneke were placed nearer their goal than before. Over-anxious, inexperienced backs would havo gone down badly by taking many of the risks which Poneke avoided. The Players.on the Day. There were some great individual performances pat up that day. James Ryan was liko a mother-to the Petone team; ''he looked after everything. His tackling iwfts deadly, andiliis.; attacking swift; and 'Strong'.'' T. Walsh, "as wing-forward for Poneke, was without equal in either vanguard. , , '.■,. Watching the Petone backs going- about their work gave one-tho impression that had they made as many assaults on. the Poneke goal as'Poneke made on theirs, they would have scored moro than Poneko did. They appeared to bo a great deal harder to stop. However, Petouo forwards were unable to give their backs the number of chances Poneko got. On the Golden Gospel of Effort. Tho match between Wellington and Old Boys helped, with other matches, to show what' a thing is "form" in football. Petone had beaten Old Boys and Wellington earlier in the season, while Poneke had beaten Wellington and drawn with Old Boys. Last Saturday previous form was upset by Poneko beating Petone, and by Wellington playing a draw with Old Boys. As far as the Wellington team 'was concerned, it must be said that-they showed improvement last Saturday, and ag Old Boys wero playing without tho .services of Grace, the team was not as [strong as it has been on previous Saturdays this season. At tho finish, whon . Old ■ Boys equalled the eight points that had been run up against them, it ap- . peared as if they had been holding their -opponents- too cheaply, though, on tho other hand, Wellington may have slackened off, thinking that their lead of eight points mado tho victory safe, and jit certainly did look safe. Thero wero ,eome bright flashes in tho second spell,' jand, in the last twenty minutes, both .•teams 1 got through some good passing. !The effect of favourable (or adverse) press ('notices on "form" was alluded to in ! The Dominion last week, and in two cases ' —Poneke and Old Boys—it had a rermarkable justification. On the principle that "faithful are tho wounds of a ifriend," this will bo added: We very i;much distrust the capacity of Old Boys Hot sustatned effort. A fortiori; wo decidedly distrust Wellington. M> Weary and 111 at Ease." Tho Oriental-Southern match played on IUo. 2 ground at tho Park reminded one of the subject of song who was '"weary, and ill at ease." On the day I there was not a great deal between tho [.teams, but ono would not liko to stako (their oxistence that Oriental wero "all /out." Tho Southern backs were very •.harmless, and tho only dangerous person >as Bradley, who, as usual, had to Bhonlder tho team's responsibilities. Happily, the moro work ho gets thp moro ho phows what ho can do. On Saturday ho was quite equal to getting out of any corner .Oriental could drivo him into. Some of the Southern forwards looked to be untrained, or badly trained—a hew feature for them. Ij. Campbell would havo scored once if ho had had enough /"steam" left to propel himself two yards. Ho took tho ball almost to tho line, and fizzled out, and did not know enough to jpass out r properly. Result—a try missed. Did Oriental Care? Oriental forwards did not show up at all, but tho backs played with their usual ] attractiveness—attractiveness, however, without much effect They threw tho ball abont beautifully, and eluded their opponents with ease, but did not seem to care whether they scored or not. Roborts appeared to delight in humbugging the opposition by simple tricks which cost little effort. Oriental's total of 17 included 8 points contributed through the .goal-kick-ing of Alters, who had been taken from tho junior team. He is a very good kick, nnd converted, one of tho thrco tries, and two penalties. The tries wero obtained by llathcson and M'Leod. "Osborn nnd Bradley scored for Southern. Oslx>rn's try came from forward play following on a run by Bradley. Bradley's try was the result of an individual effort. Out in the Cold and tho Rain, and the— Here is an extract from the report in Thursday's Dominion of a meeting of the Management Committee of tho Wellington Rugby Union:—"Mr. J. F. O'Sullivan wrote, drawing attention to 'the entire lack of dressing accommodation at Anderson Park,' and suggesting that tho union should approach the City Council with a view to having something done in tho matter. The letter was received." 1,,-ist Monday members of the Oriental third fifteen, which had played on Andcrsful Park on Saturday, approached a DiiMixi'iN" representative and asked' that the slain of affairs.should be drawn attention In in the press. It was said at tho lime lliat the Oriental secretary would probablv write the union on the subject, but it "appeals to havo been discovered

in tho meantime that tho referee was ] making a complaint. However, a letter i from the club's secretary would have added weight to the referee's communiea- : tion. Tho players say that there was : tiowhero at all for them to "strip" at tho ground. Tho caretaker happened to bo about, and unlocked a small toolshed for them to undress in, and, into this, they all crowded to don their uniform and to avoid the rain. Hut for tho kindness of tho caretaker they would have had to risk changing in the open, and then leavo their clothes in tho rain. Picking tho Representatives. An early bird arrived on the sceno a few days ago. Ho had picked a team. First of all ho named twenty players, who, ho said, were worth considering. Then he got his fifteen from that score. Probably the others are tho emergencies. Emergencies are inevitable; like work, they seem to bo necessary. The present writer does not want to sit up at night picking 'Wellington representatives, but tho early bird's team prompted a suggestion, lie places James Kyan full-back, and has as three-quarters Bradley, Mitchinson and Evenson. What has struck the writer of this note is that the selectors will err if thov go past ono particular man to do the full-back's work. The man is often talked of as a fine three-quarter, and he is. There is no safer man playing in the city this season. Ho fields brilliantly, tackles splendidly, is always wido awake, quick at disposing of tho ball, a fine line-kujk, a great judge of whero to post himself, and one who revels in responsibility. If the selectors pass him over they will miss a chance. The man is Bradley. Meeting of Athleticand'Molrose, Rapid movement and spirited play were tho good features of the game between Athletic and Melrose at Petone on Saturday. The numerous bad features did not obtrude themselves so plainly. Living up to their reputation, Athletic should havo romped over their less-gifted opponents, nnd piled up a score limited only by their own sense of moderation. That events did not take this turn was duo in part to Melrose,-'and probably quite as much to a fall from form on the part of the'Blues';themselves. Tho descent of Athletic imist be/.'ascribed to a general slackening of "combination, rather than of effort. They played vigorously all through. Tho 'whirlwind rush with which they opened niado spectators feel very sorry for Melrose, but sympathy evaporated as time wore on, and it came to ho realised that Melrose did not really need it. Viewing tho game at large,,Melrose had decidedly tho best of elemental forward play. At most times thefr defence was as impenetrable as a wood of spears; but tho team has a'badhnbit-of-'going blind now and then, and. falling out of pear. Twice, at times like' these, "an Athletic player scooped up the ball, and slipped in ito an easily-won try. The rest of tho scoring was the fruit of penalty goals. Were They Lying Back? Athletic certainly fell a lo'flg way below tho standard they had set, playing on a. stricken field against St" James a week earlier. By comparison their play on Satnrdaj was ragged arid ill-organ-ised. The "stars" of the team had an off-day. "Ranji" Wilson was a prominent figure in tho turbulent'heaving of the forward tussles that filled a great part of the game. . His brother "Sim" on several occasions snapped the ball up deftly, and advanced enterprisingly,. but ho usually came to grief through an ovofdone-ntixiely to hang on to his acquisition. Evonsen, too, was a good 'worker among the backs, but, as a whole, tho Athletic rearguard showed itself lacking in initiative. Melrose-commandeered tho ball pretty often in the' scrums, but it came with a sufficient frequency to tho 'Athletic backs to'have'enabled them to start any number'of passing-rushes had they been in trim for such manoeuvres. The failure of Athletic was a failure to drive matters to a conclusion. A thing they should have been ablo to do, in faco of a team like Melrose, at any timo and all the time. Melrose Facing the Up-Grade. Gifted with less skill than their opponents, Melrose fought an up-hill fight in a style that atoned for a good many deficiencies. The team has tho merits, and faults, of youth. At its best—and it was at its best on Saturday—it is headlong, enterprising, and often haphazard. Eager tackling rather than studied forethought made its defence hard to penetrate, and, at odd moments, sheer carelessness and disarray left tho Melrose line as open as the day to an enterprising opponent. On these occasions, as has been pointed out, Athletic duly profited, to the tune, in all, of'eight points. The best asset of the Melrose team is a pack of forwards not afraid of work, and able to hold their own very creditably when they are so inclined. ' . A Correspondent's Letter. "Junior" writes:—Re Footballers and Anderson Park: I would like to draw tho attention of the Rugby Union to tho disgraceful accommodation provided for players at Anderson Park. ' There is a tin shed about 10ft. x Sft., in which 30 players aro expected to strip. I was one of the players on Saturday last in the third-grade match Victoria College v. Oriental. At the close of the match it was raining heavily, and there was a general rush for this shanty (which, by the way, is used as an implement storeLouse as well). Altogether, there was room for about eight or ten, at the most, to dress in, the remainder had to seize their clothes as best they could, and dress in the rain, in full view of anyone passing around tho park. It's about time the Rugby Union diverted a little of its attention from the senior games (and, incidontallj-, big gates), to tho betterment of tho conditions under which wo juniors have to play. Under tho present conditions, the fact that tho younger players are fast leaving tho ranks of Rugby for those of Association, is not to bo wondered at, for there they aro certainly given more encouragement.