RUGBY LEAGUE West Coast Needs Some Bigger Forwards

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 September 1947, Page 9

RUGBY LEAGUE West Coast Needs Some Bigger Forwards

The touring pack played great football, with one or two minor 'lapses, but in four games out of five, it was pushed all over the field. It was only bulldog tenacity and the will to win which enabled it to oyercome the weight handicap, which imposed a big strain on all of the forwards and the team as a whole. A good little forward may be as effective-as a good big forward, but when it is a ease of six small forwards battling six big forwards, weight must tell in the. end.

On an average, the West Coast forwards gave away almost a stone a man in every match and the story was told in possession of the ball from the set scrums. .As a rule, the West Coast team began by securing the ball from the scrums—Ord’s hooking was good—but towards the end of most, of the games possession went to their opponents. The Auckland game was an exception, but in that game the West Coasters just swept aside the opposition in the closing stages with great combined play which, however, took its toll in later games. ’

Dry Ground Team All of the teams which the tourists met fielded strong packs, even Wanganui, and the fact that West Coast was able to come'through with only one defeat was partly due. to dry grounds being encountered for all but one game. Had the ground at Huntly been wet, instead of as hard as concrete, the South Auckland forwards would probably have dominated the game. As it was the Coast backs and the fastbreaking forwards carried too many guns for them. In the Taranaki match, the much heavier home pack was the most important factor in the game, and although that day the West Coast backs disappointed, the fora wards played good football to match the much bigger’ Taranaki men.

Wellington’s Success It was a similar story in Wellington, where the bigger home forwards set out to beat West Coast at their own game and succeeded. They screwed the scrum when desired and even collapsed it on occasions when real danger threatened if West Coast got possession. Throughout the tour, the West Coast forwards took a gruelling from the bigger men and they must have wished that they had even one or two 14st men to balance the weight put against them. There is, however, reason for optimism in regard to next season’s pack. W T ith the return of the Kiwis, the West Coast will have five internationals available for selection and it will take more than average ability to secure a position.

Neilson in Form Taking a line on the form shown throughout the tour, the most likely candidates appear to be J. Mundy, R. Neilson and R. O’Donnell. Neilson was the “find” of the tour. He had played good football for Hokitika tor

some weeks before the selection of the team, as a five-eighth, but back in the forwards in Auckland he played a grand game, well ahead of his club standard. Mundy had four games and did not give a poor display in any of them. He was one of the few players to retain some of his real dash in Wellington but he received a gruelling at the hands of Wellington second row men.

The. bad knock he. received in the last minute of the Auckland game, in scoring the equalising try took a lot of the “sting” out of R. O’Donnell but as the youngest member of the pack, his displays were full of promise. He may develop into the rugged type of forward which is needed. Deserved his Place

Like Neilson, P. Coll improved on his club football on the tour and, apart from other considerations, deserved his place in the team to play Wellington on Saturday. As one of the lighter forwards, Mel Ord also did well and A. McTaggart was valuable in the tight. F. Thompson was injured at Huntly but showed considerabel improvement on the tour. H. Tuck did not reproduce his best club form and K. Mosley found it difficult to accustom himself to “big” football. He was disappointing at New Plymouth, but redeemed himself somewhat at Wanganui, where he scored a good opportunist’s try.

KNOCK-OUT FINAL TO BE PLAYED

ON SEPTEMBER 14

The final of the West Coast Rugby League’s knock-out competition, between Ngahere and Marist, will not be played until September 14.-“ The executive of the league decided last evening that the final should be stood down for a week in view of the pos-* sibility that the teams would be below full strength next Sunday. The fixtures statistician, Mr J. Kidd, pointed out that either the knock-out final or one-round competition matches could .be played next Sunday, and he suggested that it might be advisable to put the knock-out back for a week in view of the fact that a number of the players had just returned from a gruelling tour. In answer to a question by Mr A. Ross (Ngahere), Mr Kidd said that if any team reached an unassailable position in the one-round, the com-

petition could be closed. The present position was that Blackball had to meet Runanga, Brunner had to meet Ngahere, Runanga had to meet Blackball, Ngahere and Marist, Nga-

here had to meet Runanga and Brunner, Marist had to meet Runanga, and Hokitika had played all its

games. Mr M. Power said that the Marist team had been badly “knocked about” as a result of the northern tour. Dunn, Coll, Mundy, Pascoe, and Curnow had all been injured, and two of the players who had filled gaps while the team was away had also been injured. Mr A. O'Donnell (Blackball) pointed out that earlier in the season Brunner had had a fixture cancelled because of injuries to playing members and said he considered Marist should get the same treatment. After some discussion of the question of travelling and home games, Mp J. Oakley (Lake Brunner) moved that the one-round competition be continued next’Sunday, and that the knock-out final be postponed until September 14. The. motion was seconded by Mr P, E. Sweetman and carried.

Possibly the main lesson learned by the West Coast Rugby League team on its tour of the North Island was that the West Coast must look for some big forwards if it is to hold its own in represenative football.