WELLINGTON'S UNIMPRESSIVE DISPLAY

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 18, 21 July 1934, Page 22

WELLINGTON'S UNIMPRESSIVE DISPLAY

By "Dropkick."

Wellington created a very fine imf&oSsiisnToy performance in last season's

Bugby representative engagements, but

this season Wellington's stocks are slumping badly. The usual start —a match with Taranaki at Hawera —was unpromising, and now.Wellington has met defeat at the hands of Wairarapa. Wellington's display at Mastcrton on Wednesday was distinctly disappointing. The team, of course, could have been greatly improved by the inclusion of Page, Griffiths, and Killeen'in the

backs, assuming that Killocn would

show the return to form that is duo from him. The forwards, however, took the field as selected, and they appeared to be anything but an organised playing, force. Experimental work seemed to throw the pack out of gear, even though most of the members were in their normal places. 'Ability rather than weight is wanted in" the pack to

brine it back to something like the -'standard reached last^yeay. But there is one man whose place cannot be filled, andthat is McLean. The further

Wellington goes ,this season tho greater , will be the realisation of the value that - McLean was'to Wellington in representative football. However, the pack in other respects can be set in such a way as. to enable it to function..', with a ■degree of effectiveness approaching that of last year. The whole performance on Saturday was well below that expected of a side from the'wealth of material offering in Wellington. Allowing for the players who . were available for Wednesday's match, soino Wvho gained places in the team were flattered.

EFFECT OF CHANGES IN TEAM