Visit of Auckland Team

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1946, Page 9

Visit of Auckland Team

Match with West Coast

Proposed

x Subject to satisfactory arrangements being made, the Auckland Rugby League representative team will play. West Coast at Greymouth on September 1. Advice to this effect was received at last evening’s meeting of the executive of the West Coast Rugby League, when it was decided to offer the visitors 60 per cent, of the gross gate takings and to endeavour to arrange rail-car transport, from Christchurch. In its letter, the Auckland League advised that it contemplated sending a team on tour, to play Canterbury on August 31, West Coast on September 1, and Wellington on September 4. It desired to know what financial arrangements could be made and also to have transport arranged to bring the team to Greymouth after the match in Christchurch.

Present at the meeting were Messrs. B. F. Connors (president), J. Kidd. B. Ramsay, J. Griffin, J. Oakley-, E. Pattison, N. Messenger, W. Meates, C. Stone, L. P. Coffey, E. Longley, Rev. Bro. Clarent (management committee), and the following club delegates:—Messrs. T. Merriman, J. Quinn, and L. Huntei' (Runanga), W. Gilbert and M. Power (Marist), S. Senior (Brunner), J. Walker and J. Neilson (Blackball), R. Blake and J. Cooper (Ngahere), A. Broome, K. O’Brien, and R. Neilson, sen. (Hokitika). Congratulatory messages -on the success of the West Coast team against England were received from the West Coast Rugby Union, Westland Rugby Sub-Union, Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury Leagues, North Shore Albion and Otahuhu clubs, Messrs. W. Swift (Auckland), P. Tobin (Christchurch), E. Asher and R. Simpson (Wellington). A letter of thanks was also received from Allan Crooks, an injured player whom the management committee arranged to have transported from the Grey Hospital to witness the match. The secretary reported that the gross takings for the match with England were £535/14/-, and that the amusement tax amounted to £54 2/-. Treatment of Players. Mr. Quinn said that some members of the Runanga Club had expressed some dissatisfaction with the treatment that had been meted out to the members of the West Coast team, in that no official function was arranged after the game. Mr. Walker referred at length to treatment accorded West Coast members of the South Island team which played in Christchurch, and aftei some discussion it was decided to write to the Canterbury League, protesting against the 'lack of arrangements for the players and the referee. Mr. Kidd said that the representative players this season had had to lose a lot of work and he thought that they were entitled to some compensation, apart from the “glory. ’ A suggestion that the league should adopt a blazer and present one to each member of the representative team was made by Mr. Walker. He said that he thought it would be treasured more by the players thanany reimbursement of expenses. Several delegates spoke in favour of .the suggestion that a blazer or some other suitable form bf recognition should be given the players, and it was decided, on the motion of Messrs. Neilson and Merriman, that it be a recommendation to the management committee to take action along those lines. The secretary, Mr. T. F. McKenzie, said it would have to be remembered that no cash payment could be made, as the players had already received expenses to the limit permitted by the New Zealand League. The president said it was in view to hold a function later in the year to honour the representative and international players and the referees who had controlled the major matches and any presentations could then be made. Benefit Match Proposed. Arising out of a discussion, opened by Mr. Oakley, on the question of compensating players injured in matches where they were not covered by club insurance schemes, it was decided that a match between two West Coast senior thirteens be arranged on the first available date, the proceeds to be divided among injured players. , ~ Mr. J. Neilson said that the way in which the management committee had dealt with players ordered off, standing them down for one Sunday, but excluding representative fixtures, penalised the clubs rather than the vots The secretary said that he thought 'that ultimate events had proved that the committee was quite justified. One of the players concerned had been selected in the New Zealand team and the other would have been ineligible to represent the South Island against the Englishmen. Mr. Neilson said it would have been preferable to have cautioned the players. The president: How were we to caution them when only the previous week a man had been stood down? We were dealing with players, not clubs. Mr. Kidd: Are we going to stamp out rough play or not? If we are going to keep on cautioning players year after year we are not going to get anywhere. The president said that the committee had had a guide for the future and the discussion lapsed without a resolution being moved. The secretary said that it was going to cost £l5O to send the schoolboys’ team to the Auckland tournament, and 1 arrangements were made for the clubs to assist in the raising of finance. Vote for Secretary.

The president asked that delegates should Express an opinion on whether the secretary should be given a vote at .meetings. The secretary said the matter had arisen because of the fact that when about to read controversial correspondence, he was unable to move that it should be taken in committee. Secretaries of other leagues had a vote and under the Incorporated Societies Act he was entitled, to a vote. The Blackball and Marist delegates opposed the suggestion, on the ground that clubs felt that the widening of the basis of the management committee might cause the ultimate' control of the league’s affairs to slip out of the hands of the clubs. Runanga and Ngahere expressed them-

selves in favour of the proposal. A motion, moved by Messrs. Quinn and Merriman, that the secretary be given a vote and that the necessary provision be included in the new constitution, was carried on a show of hands. It was decided that, in future, the Blackball and Ngahere clubs should advise Mr. Stone, as country member of the postponement committee, whether the respective domain boards considered the grounds were fit for play. Mr. Broome said that the game was now on a very good footing in Hokitika and he asked that, if possible, another major attraction should be staged there before the end of the season. ' . The president; said that the matter would be kept ih mind.