LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 August 1939, Page 9

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

NEWS ANU NOTES

The last-minute announcement that the pioposed tour of the South Island Leagues bj' an Auckland representative side had been cancelled was a disappointment to followers of the code on the West Coast, and it is to be regretted that the Auckland League did not make a lull investigation into the possibility of obtaining a touring team before discussing arrangements for its matches. Similar cancellations have been experienced before by the West Coast League, and they are not in the interests of the code. The explanation given by the Auckland League, that a large number of the best, players available could not obtain leave for a tour that would occupy a. fortnight, lias been continued by the West Coast delegate on the New Zealand Council, and it is evident that Auckland was not willing to give any but the most, deserving players a. trip. Now, the only possibility is a tour by an Auckland Club team, but it would appear likely that the same difficulty will arise and there is little time lelt this season to curry on negotiations. Poor Handling:

With few exceptions, the handling of the backs in the senior grade this season has not been good, indicating a lack of practice in this department, and this was most noticeable at Wingham Park on Sunday. Had the Marist backs been at all accurate in giving or accepting passes, they undoubtedly would have scored far more tries than they did, but with dropped passes and knocl£s-on the rule, many opportunities went "begging. Even allowing for the muddy ground and greasy ball, the majority of the backs on the field gave poor exhibitions, apart from isolated individualistic efforts.

Lower Grades:

Although the Junior Advisory Board has done good work this season in promoting the interests of the lower grade footballers, it would appear that possibly they are giving too much attention to the schoolboys, at the expense of the intermediate grades. There have been far too many defaults and fixtures unfulfilled in the third and fourth grades and rumour has it that some of the teams in these grades are not satisfied. If this is so, the Junior Advisory Board and the Management Committee should make a searching invesigation of the cause as the code cannot afford to allow the lower grades to slip back.

Fine Try: One of the best tries scored on Wingham Park this season was that notched by J. Pope, the Marist forward on Sunday. Few forwards in the competition would have turned an intercept to such good advantage and in running over 30 yards, Pope showed a rare turn of speed. There is no doubt that Pope has made great progress this season and is now the best forward that Marist possess. Promoted Junior: Outstanding in the Blackball pack on Sunday, with R. Clark, was W. Shuttleworth, a promoted junior, who was playing his first game in senior grade. Blackball have some promising material among their lower grade teams and Shuttleworth is one of the best. He should find a permanent place in the senior thirteen next, season. Determined: If anyone deserved a try in Sunday’s match at Wingham Park it was J. Gibson, the Ngahere forward. Whenever play was hard, on the Marist line, Gibson was found endeavouring to force his way over and he was rewarded. Flay-the Ball: Although he controlled the match in his usual able manner, Referee J. Mathews gave both teams a lot of latitude in playing the ball on Sunday and some of the delays were too long. If the game is to be brightened up, in accordance with the instructions recently from the New Zealand Referees’ Association, it is essential that a man must play the ball immediately upon being tackled, and there is no excuse for a general melee before the play-the-ball formation is arrived at. Kuinara’s Surprise: The result of the junior Knock-Out final was a. complete surprise, Kurnara inflicting the first defeat of the season cn Brunner, by the big margin of 17 points to nil. On the day, Kurnara were the only team in it, their rugged tactics completely upsetting Brunner, who failed to produce at any stage the football which won them the championship. L. Pascoe put up a good performance, in kicking three goals and a field goal, with a. heavy ball, and Popich, with two tries, was also a tower of strength to Kurnara. It is interesting to note that, at their first meeting of the season, Kurnara held Brunner to a draw and Brunner then went on to defeat all rivals in the. championship and knock-out, until the final.

Yet Another: It. is doubtful whether any senior player has taken the field in so many different positions in his team this season as T. Anisy, who took up a new role on Sunday, first as second liveeighth, and later as wing three-quar-ter. He made a success of both jobs aud when on the wing, showed surprising speed. It is to be regretted that Marist have not allowed Anisy to become established in one position, us he is one of the most reliable players they possess. •Solid Forward:

N. Gillman. the Ngahere forward, gave another solid display on Sunday, and was always in the thick of the light. He followed up consistently but saw out the eighty minutes well,, and is little inferior to some of the forwards who have gained representative honours this season.

Progress in Wellington: “Tho heart of the game is all right, and the Clubs are co-operating towards real progress better than ever before.” writes a Wellington correspondent of the “Auckland Rugby ’League Gazette.” “New faces are appearing on the fields and the standard is showing a marked advance. The stage is set next season for the introduction of •Schoolboy League. 'The Board of Control is in close touch with educational authorities in this important sphere. “We supporters of the modern Code consider tho prospects are extremely bright in Wellington.”