IN STRONG POSITION

Evening Post, Issue 28, 1 August 1936, Page 23

IN STRONG POSITION

GAME IN AUSTRALIA

The difficulty of comparing football in New Zealand with that in Australia was emphasised by Mr. S. A. Storey, manager of the Australian Soccer team, in an interview with the "Waikato Times." In New, South Wales alone, he said, there were 250 first-class players. The present team was a very strong side and had played well up to its best Australian form on the present tour. Soft grounds had not been to the team's advantage, and those who had not had experience of hard' grounds in Australia could not realise what "hard" grounds were. The Basin Reserve in Wellington was the best ground they had played on in New Zealand. - .*■■

Mr. Storey was exceptionally pleased with the way the members of the team had conducted themselves. ' All the members were very keen and kept themselves'fit so that even when they returned to Sydney they would be ready to take part fin club football.

"The team would do well anywhere," remarked Mr. Storey when questioned regarding the comparative merits of the side, "except, perhaps, in England." Highly - developed club organisation had resulted in raising the standard of the code in Australia. Each club had its own ground as with the English professional teams and, indeed, the whole system was modelled' on that which has proved so successful at Home. Competition was keen among players for positions in the first grade teams, and this resulted in all