A PALMERSTONIAN ON KM TOA.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 893, 1 June 1909, Page 4

A PALMER STONIAN ON KM TOA.

(By "Tout-jilijie" in Manawatu Times.) Saturday's matches resulted very much us expected. The two senior contests ivero very close fights, and there is no saying which w-jll be the premier team this season, although Folding's chances look the rosiest. The Feiiding and Kia. Toa matches vroro very "willing"— perhaps too willing — and there were faults on both sides. It does some players, who, for various reasons, are not criticised by their club mates, no harm to be criticised by an outsider, and one thing' that struck me very forcibly on Saturday was the little tricks of Jack Stalker; such tricks as lurking round the touchline, on the -opposite side of the field where the play is quite fifty yards from tlie ball looking for openings, I suppose — a pretty big opening — between him and the ball. Again, why all this tricky, dodgy footwork, a la Tommy Burns, which generally ends in disaster? Feilding would never have scored their' last try had it not been for Stalker trying circus tricks with a man faster than himself. What Stalker wants is a bit of "Tiny's" energy in him. As for "Tiny," he improves every day, and will probably .be heard of this year in the North, v. South Island match. A player standing behind me on Saturday, who had played against Gillett, said that he would far rather stand tip against the" latter than play against MeMinn. Another good point was his efforts to stop the talking of the noisy members of his side. This talking was a prominent featuro of Billy Webb, who also verged over the line of scragging sometimes, particularly when ho missed the ball" and caught Fraser in the wind. Hodgins played a very sound game at full, but instead of running towards the touch-line when he takes the ball he should rather run from the line than to it, so that lie has more cliance of finding the line further up the field. The makings of a very fine back is Coldstream, and another season of senior football will improve him wonderfully. De Blois lacks condition, but lie seems to have energy winch kept him going wonderfully on Saturday. Wighton grafted hard for his side, and was never far !rom the ball at any time. Undoubtedly Ongiuy was the best all-round back on the ground. Hi beat his men and in~ v!>e \:\il cu l always at the rigtit ri'ow-ot and vitliout him Feilding was-M U.wq bad t.:> play much harder '.^ win. M'ck i arroll was almost n' gcod us Onfrley ; he has pace cul I6ps it. sin-'i unless tl-s Kia Toa backs wm:.t U\- K'.m l<»v t-.ey had no hope, i i.-.ripll 1 i fa-. 1 -- iies ••£ hanging on i!; r.^ is r 'litroi! X cry. often .when the Kia.' Toa forwuvls rushed away with the br.Ji at tho t;ie Carroll raced ahead < r rhcin f?ii<.l_MOi> pod their rush, ai;d o-.ico in with a very good nn<r'c. Fraser got some Laid knocks, but his taking and kicking were vprv good. Hughes has gone i><{ w-^ry r.\ncli in lacking, but other vise his play was sound. The Feilding forwards are a very solid lot, and Chum Carroll, Ryan and Trovena were a hard working trio.