LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 April 1929, Page 3

LEAGUE FOOTBALL

THE iRiP To"AUSTRALIA. ifrews concerning the proposed visit of ri New Zefilaild League team to Australia. thi£ season i s , being anxiously awaited on the Coast, as oxie of the recognised League strongholds in the Dominion. Somehow or other a mild hitch has arisen which may yet prove to place a damper on this visit to the Commonwealth. Last season two delegates of the Council of the New Zealand League, Messrs 0. Snedden and D. McLean, ir.et the Australian Board of Control, aiid it-was arranged that a Maoriland team should tour Australia every other year. Although it was takeii. for granted that a side should tour this year-, no official invitation has Keen received from the Australian Leagxx’e. . But there has been nothing to the cbiitrary to Say that an invitation is not coming. It appears, however, that tlie delay can well be explained; for ah' Australian team is to tour Exxgland this yfear and it seems hardly probable that the, Australian League , would be prepai’ed to take the risk of their reprOseritative side being defeated by a team from here before if . leaves on its visit to England. . At present, th’eXefdre, there is nothing definite,

•but.it does appear trial, if a New Zealand side goes to Australia, it will have to be cohtoxited .with playing Statb games only, although it has been suggested in Sydney that those left bteh'in'd could furnish a strong international teain to meet the New Zealanders. THE SEASON STARTS. In Christchurch on Saturday, Marist and Christian Brothers met at Monica Park in a friendly “pipe-opener.” The former won by 27 to 13, and amongst those wixb scored tries was Robins, the Greyxhouth Marist captain, who was in the city on holidays and could not resist an invitation to don the jersey. IN OTHER CENTRES. Five clubs placed. 12 teams in the field in the Duriddin competitions last year, and it is expected in the Southern city that the same nuxhber will be entered this season. The Ellerslie League, Club hopes to be considerably strengthened this year by the invixxcible Dufty, a Newtonian who has made football history. Dufty, however, is at present a member of the Newton Club and he can make a move it will be xiecessary for him to obtain his transfer. < In Auckland, the recognised home

of the code in New Zealand, considerable interest has been aroused by the likelihood of the amalgamating of the Grafton Athletic and Kingsland Clubs. The move is certainly in the air, ami. should it take place these two clubs which featured two of the most prominent senior B. grade teams in the competition, last year will undoubtedly be able to field a team well up to the standard: of the senior grade. But this will set up a new problem for the Auckland League, which allows only a certain number of teams in its senior grade. Ellerslie was last on the senior ladder last year, but in that hard tussle against Athletic at the end of the 1928 season, it justified its place among the seniors and therefore must continue in that rank again. A large mem'bership and an improved standard of refereeing were mentioned as special features of the work bf x the Auckland Rugby League Refbfees’ Association, at the annual meeting last Thursday. Mr A. Ball presided. The need for closer co-opera-tion with the English League in the interpretation of the rules .was emphasised. Special mention was made of the work of the grading committee, and the sole selector, Mr McCowatt. An English critic describes Wigan’s sweeping victory over Batley in the English Rugby League contests as a. “New Zealand victory.” Mason, the big forward, scored three tries, and B. Davidson, who has been playing on the wing lately, showed speed and determination in annexing two more, while Brown, the .star man of the overseas’ contingent, had to be content with one. The three Maorilariders scored between them .six out of the nine tries which gave Wigan a 35—0 victory, Jim Sullivan, making up the rest of the score in goal-kicks. Young a son of the famous C.E., is holding his place in the Warrington team, which includes the Australian flyer, Blinkhorn, and is,apparently following on. soundly in the footsteps of his famous dad. Reports from Auckland -relative to prospects of new 7 blood in the senior

thirteens of the various clubs are not as encouraging as might he desired. As far as can be f gathered at present, Marists will show, more, new members in its senior thirteen than any other * Club. White, a wqll-knowii sprinter, ‘ . who played for the Tykes in 1926 when I the New Zealand team went Home, is | coming back into the fold to play on | the wing. Du Waiiie, who was a. pro- I minent forward for the East Suburbs g Club in Sydney, is now in Auckland I And has beeii signed „nj> with. Marists. | Then there is a.trip of promi singly bring I playCrs recently left college in Warms- I ley, Bean and Francis, who will also | be seen in the green jersey. Marists, i and many of Auckland’s League fans, I will certainly miss that hard-slogging I forward, Noble, who has been trans- | ferred to Dunedin. Jim O’Brien, who | proved himself a bit of a nightmare | to the Englishmen, expects to be but; | again. r.