PALESTINE AMATEUR TEAM

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 13, 15 July 1939, Page 23

PALESTINE AMATEUR TEAM

SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIAN TOUR

When the officials of the Australian Soccer Football Association decided to invite a team of Jewish amateurs from Palestine to tour Australia this season many followers of the game had misgivings about the success of the venture. The team is now in Australia and has demonstrated its worth, vindicating the courage of the Australian association. In its first three games the Palestine team had fairly comfortable wins over two Victorian sides and a Northern Districts eleven at Cessnock, but New South Wales beat the visitors 6-4, and Australia won the first Test, 7-5.

young men. who appear lighter in ordinary clothes than cheir weights indicate. They were a lighter team than the New South Wales eleven, but they. made up in skill and agility for their lack of weight. They play the same type of game as the Indians who toured Australia last year. Short low passes keep the ball on the ground most of the time and they dazzle opponents and spectators by the swift science of their attacks. Their defence is superior to that of the Indians. DETAILS OF PLAYERS. Members of the team are as follows: Goalkeepei-s: J. Sidi, aged 21, sft 9in, lOst 81b' in weight; B. Mizrahria, 24, sft Bin, lOst 21b. Backs: A. Reznik, 28, sft lOin, list lib; A. Beth-Halevy, 26, sft 9in, list. Half-backs: J. Liebermann, 28, sft lOin, list 91b; Z. Fooks, 21, sft lOin, lOst 91b; M. Menahem, 24, sft 9in, lOst 61b; 11. Viner,.24, sft lOin, lOst 121b. Forwards: S. Alembik, 18, sft 3in, lOst; M. Greenberg, 27, sft 6in,. lOst j 101b; Leopold Werner, 28, sft 7in, lOst 101b; Gaul Makhlis, 21, sft. 9in, lOst 121b; Firenz Neufeld, 25, sft lOin, lOst 131b; Shemuel Ginzgerg, 21, ?sft 9in, lOst 81b; Abraham Schnaiderowitz, 21, sft 9in, list; Salomon Shulamson, 20, sft 9in, lOst 101b. The manager is Mr. i*. S. Arazi. The superiority of New South Wales over Palestine at the Sydney Cricket Ground was greater than the score of six goals to four indicated. It was difficult to avoid an impression that, if the necessity had been there, the New South Wales score could have been increased substantially and the Palestine goals reduced to a lower total. That is not to say that the Palestine footballers were of a mediocre general standard. They showed themselves well drilled, clever in many midfield aspects of Soccer, and robust enough to share fair exchanges of vigorous play. Where they failed was in the spirit j needed to take advantage of attacking openings which midfield brainwork created, in dare-or-die tenacity in defence; and lack of outstanding individual player* to inspire the side. If a couple of other players in the eleven had shown originality and thie positional sense of the Inside-left, Makhlis, New South Wales would have had a harder .task. VERY STRONG ELEVEN. Palestine was unfortunate to meet a New South Wales side which was capable of a much better showing than any previous New South Wales or Australian eleven. . ! The Australian team for'the first ■ Soccer Test match against Palestine, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, consisted entirely of New South Wales play-

ers. It was different in only a few respects from the New South Wales team which beat Palestine. A back, A. Mascord, and a forward, W. Loner* gan, were omitted. J. B. Evans was moved from right-back to left-back, and the speedy and versatile Adamstown player, A. Henwood, was rightback. R. Crowhurst, of Metters, took the position of v outside-right, J. Wilkinson going inside, and J. Hughes moving across to inside-left. The selected men were:^-

Goalkeeper, J. McNab (Weston); backs, A. Henwood (Adamstown), J. B. Evans (Goodyear) j half-backs, W. Coolahan (Adamstown), J. Parkes (Goodyear), J. Osborne (Metiers); forwards. R. Crowhurst (Metiers) > J. Wilkinson (Weston), A. Quill (Wallsend). J. Hughes (Metiers), M. Wynn (Metiers); reserves, T. Harris (Weston), R. Date (Wallsend).

STATE REPRESENTATION.

"It is certain that the Soccer associations of States beyond New South Wales, faced with the fact that the Australian team for the first Test against Palestine consists entirely of New South Wales players, will do their best to ensure the presence in teams for the other four Test matches of a proportion of their players," said an Australian exchange before the Test match.

"There are reasons why the Australian selectors, who obviously adopted i policy of choosing the best available teams for the first Test, should not sub* stantially depart from that policy for any match "of the series. "The Palestine tour is being made under sanction of the International Soccer Federation. Palestine form is known in Europe. If Australia makes showings against it that are considerered by European authorities to be less solid than should have been made by a strong Soccer country, the chances will be reduced of getting strong European teams to Australia, or of arranging a suitable touring programme for

an Australian team on the other sid« of the world will be reduced.

"The Palestine team's tour is far different from that of the Indian side last year. Tactics and restrictions imposed on the teams that met India were at least not likely to harm Australian Soccer in European opinion, as Indian Soccer is of no interest to Europe. CHEAPENING "CAPS." "If Australia in the first Test match wins so handsomely that the selectors ' can afford to take risks, experimental players in subsequent Test matches • I should be young players, irrespective of States, who are likely to be wanted - I for full strength teams of the future. It is cheapening Australian 'caps' to confer them on players of other State 3 who could not hold positions in New South Wales club teams. "The only other State with promising players is Queensland, and there is no Queenslander, with the possible exception of Gibb at left-half, in measurable distance of showing at any position the same form as the New South Wales claimants."