THE OPEN GOAL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 42, 17 August 1935, Page 23

THE OPEN GOAL

UNIVERSITY TEAM

A striking example of the weakness of, playing hockey without a, goalkeeper was given? at Naenae on Saturday when the University team ''had three out of four goals scored against them because their goalmouth was wide open to the Wellington forwards. The University players have been the exponents of the policy of playing three full-backs for some time, and their'method is presumably based on sound theory, but in practice it has not paid.

Saturday's game should have gone to University on the field work, and would have gone to that club if a reasonably good/goalkeeper had been between the posts. There. were two marked weaknesses in the team. The centre-forward, Williams, was recruited from the wing, and had not overcome a natural tendency to drift away from the central position, and the goal was wide open once -the full-backs were passed. A useful change would have been to place Jacobsen at centre-forward, for he, is a sure shot, and was partly wasted at full-back, where his policy of light hitting did not "fill the bill." '.' . Had Jacobsen been in Williams's place he would probably have netted two goals that were missed, and would have worked well with Robinson, who put in some excellent work. Williams was playing a willing game, but his "drifting" towards the wing lost him chances: The lack of a goalkeeper was the'greatest weakness, however, as even one save would have given the team the victory. . , . When a team with the forward line possessed by Wellington takes the field, breaches-in: the defence of the opposing team are to be expected- at times, and when there is no last defence scores are. almost inevitable, but even an average goalkeeper will stop, an occasional one. Even if. his clear-

ing ability is not great. a goalkeeper has a psychological effect that counts for a good deal.when a player has to make a hurried shot at the net. The game between University and Wellington proved an interesting one apart from the make-up of the teams, as it was contested in excellent spirit, in marked contrast to the previous display by these two teams. Both teams showed what good clean hockey can be,-and those who witnessed the game could not help but enjoy it.