WING-FORWARDS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 10, 11 July 1936, Page 24

WING-FORWARDS

SOME COMMON FAULTS

:The wing-forward is the-final position which will be dealt with in the ■series of articles which:have appeared iri this column discussing the duties of players The wing-forwards ' must always remain on the wing, between the touch-line and the seven-yards' line, and as far up the field as possible. Standing off-side is a common fault of players in this position, even in international matches. This is both, careless and. inexcusable, and many potential goals are lost through it. The position is very often a most unsatisfactory one in which to play, as the player must always be ready to receive a pass1 which may, never come. She has two alternatives when she.has obtained the ball ;(1) To centre it, but this' must^ never, be: done until ; :one of .the opponents' defence has been.drawn. .(2) To take the ball into the circle and iShoot. The first alternative is the more usual and the; more beneficial of. the two. When centring the wing normally must place the ball slightly in front of the inside forwards,,so that it is not necessary for them to stop to collect it. If'-the ■centre,,is made : from ttie: opponents'; goal-line,' the' direction of the pass must be back to the edge of the circle, not across the goalmouth. Special reference must be made to the outside left. Too many -players in this position attempt' to centre with the point of the stick.. If they are lucky enough to h\t the ball at-all they; cannot guarantee to pass it accurately. An outside left should dribble the ball slightly behind her right foot, then by pivoting on the right heel when the left foot is forward, she can; adopt a comfortable attitude for centring with very little waste of time. : "Eyes on the Ball." "Keep your eye on the ball" applied just as much in hpckey as it does in tennis, golf, cricket, or similar pastimes, and should be adopted as the motto of the junior teams. Too many players look up just as the' stick is about six inches from the ball, and, consequently,. either top the ball or send it only about two yards, gaining nothing from the shot. Players should know where their team-mates are all the time without having to look up just as the- ball reaches them. Full-back Scores. It is not often that a full-back scores a goal, but in the junior game between T.O.G. and University last week the whole of the T.O.G. team seemed to be in the circle at once on several occasions, and when University failed to clear Miss J. Peterson netted on two occasions. Stouter Nets Required? An amusing incident occurred in one of the matches on Saturday last, when a sturdy and solid goalie who was not getting much work to do, ventured well downfield without mishap. However, she tried this once too often, andthe opposition got the ball away and charged down the midfield towards the circle with a solid goalie hot in pursuit. On reaching the circle she was r unable to stop her rush, and charged on, taking the net with her, and almost removing one of the goalposts with the force of the .impact,-luckily being uninjured herself. ■ The attacking players were so ■ astonished, that' they "■'• forgot to score the goal. ■■■'.;■ 1A Tennis Party. As part of the campaign to raise funds a tennis party will be held at Mrs. Sundgren's residence, "Ferndale," Homewood Avenue, Karori tomorrow, commencing at about 10.30 a.m. j Stickwork of Juniors. Stickwork generally is very poor, especially in junior teams. Where a good, clean pass is needed players poke the ball or top it a few feet into the stick of an opponent,:and, in a small space, the scrum will go on for quite a long time, no ground being gained by either side. University Fail Again. In the junior match between T.0.G., ( and University last Saturday UniverI sity again scored no goals., This seems Ito be due partly to the fact that the I forwards play, put of position on the]

field. They play a good defensive game, but are weak on attack. The forwards should play well downfield, and leave the defending to the goalie and the full-backs. When forwards play too far upfield, defending all the time, they tend to cramp the fullbacks, and the. work of the halves is lost altogether. T.0.G., on the other hand, played a good game, with tricky passes, and quite good combination. The players in. this team ar£ always on the attack, and, consequently, keep the ball in their midst for most of the time. Miss May Abraham plays a good game as- full-back for University, another prominent member of the . same team being Miss D. Feakins. Doing their. Bit. . A very successful jumble; sale was held recently by the Wenerei and Huia' | Clubs in aid of the funds in connec- | tio'n with the Fijian tour. A sum of £4 was raised. "What Was That For?" Once again the point should be stressed that junior players will never win their way into a higher grade if they cTo not learn the rules more thoroughly, and if they do not profit by experience. It is a very common occurrence, when the referee blows his whistle, for a player to demand, with jan extremely puzzled expression, "What was that for?" Time and time again players.will pass into the thick of their opponents, where an easy goal could probably be secured by a short dribble round the scrum or out on the wings. In the junior games players in some cases almost refuse to take the ball themselves. They receive quite well, perhaps, but pass immediately. We Take Off Our Hat To ... Miss B. Charles C.O.G. right half, who came out of retirement last Saturday ';to give; her side some useful assistance against Swifts. Miss A. Walker, who scored four of Hutt United's five goals against University. Miss M. Nelligan, who made her mark in the match against Hutt United, breaking away several times down the left wing. She scored University's only goal. . ; 'Misses H. Morris, -E. McGill, and H. McLellan, for their untiring efforts in the match between C.O.G. and Swifts. Miss Nellie Symonds, Swifts' juhio.r full-back, who thinks and acts .very quickly, and seems to cover a good deal of ground in a remarkably short time . ' i Universities to Help. V The New Zealand University Hockey Council is anxious to help to entertain the Fijians. It will be recalled tha the New Zealand University hockey team visited Fiji last season at the invitation of the Suva Men's Hockey Association. Hutt Notes. . On-account of-their opponents defaulting' last Saturday, the.Hutt senior B and junior teams had a seven-a-side game which was very evenly contested. For the winners- Miss Josie. Hancock played a" wonderful game as custodian, bringing off .some really' good saves. On the previous" week 'Hutt met Technical/and: the'qualities 'of the former showed themselves throughout the game. It was seldom that Hutt were really hard pressed, and if at any time an opponent broke away the Hutt backs were very smart in recovering.

The result of St. Joseph's suffering a reverse has given Hutt an additional two points' lead and they appear to be certain to win the championship. It is encouraging to see the followingin of Miss H. King after a shot at goal, and fully half her goals this year have come as the. result of this.

It is difficult indeed to sort out any one player from the forward line as being more outstanding than another, although if any should be mentioned it'must be Miss N. Smith on the left wing. It-is the most difficult position on the field, yet she leaves little to be desired.

Miss M. Inglis is the making of a fine half and improves every game.

Miss L. Taylor, in goal,, has not been called on to do very much this year arid it isa pity that a place cannot be.found in the backs for her; from all accounts she was one of the best fullbacks in the Wairarapa before coming down here.