RUGBY LEAGUES Kiwis Looked Forward To Landing At New York.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 September 1947, Page 9

RUGBY LEAGUES Kiwis Looked Forward To Landing At New York.

(Special to Star—Air Mail)., PANAMA, September 12. As the great land of America draws near, the members of the Kiwi Rugby League team are commencing to think of the things that may interest them most when they are able to step on to dry land once more after the long period when their home has been the rolling deck of the ship, and the only outlook, mile after mile of rolling ocean.

When the boat first left the shores of New Zealand, to those members of the team who had never been outof the country before, there was a great interest in the vast rolling ocean. However, on the traveller, who had been away before, the novelty was short-lived, and to the new traveller it was not long before the sight of water and more water, day after day, soon came to the boring stage and the only thought then became, when .would some land be seen again and the main theme, some land on which it was possible to plant firmly one’s feet? Many and varied have been the suggestions and ideas of what each will do when first ashore. One popular subject that has had a lot of followers is the finding of a good eating house, as close to the boat as possible, wherein one is able to partake of a good juicy steak liberally sprinkled with eggs. This, to be followed by several long glasses of nice fresh milk.

Milk Popular Drink

It is strange that to the average New Zealander, the every-day occurrence of the milkman calling with his fresh product, is taken just as a matter of course, but after a few days in a place where fresh milk is missing, he immediately realises just how much it has come to mean in his life. It is recalled that a party of Kiwi soliders on returning from some service in the Islands during the war were known to have consumed over a gallon of milk each before ever removing them hats. After three weeks of shipboard the Kiwis fare found that a good glass of fresh milk is something worth while and that it possibly holds more allure than other beverages that were thought to be of greater importance. And then, what to do after the inner man has been satisfied, is occupying the thought processes of the more ambitious. Some, of course, are only interested in the inner man but to others there appear to be some other interests in life. ' Mainly to see the sights, in some form or another in the very limited time will be the chief idea. One member of the team though was heard to express the desire to take in one of the famous American strip-tease shows. However, the matter which will have alsolute control over the doings of everyone will be the very short limit

allowed bn the dollar issue to the team and the extremely high cost of everything in the famed “land of the free” may probably mean that the steak and other tempting palateticklers will have to be partaken of in very small doses. Aboard the ship the team have become very popular with everyone. This is probably due to the fact that the whole party has been functioning as one big happy family. Most of the credit of the happiness, on the part of everyone, can b$ attributed to the fine leadership of Mr Redwood and the obliging and assisting ways of Mr Hunter.

Strenuous Training

Training, of course, has been the principal official occupation. Promptly at 10 a.m. each day except Sunday—there is no 40-hour week for an international footballer —the team have assembled and first on the list has been the warm-up with a skipping rope each. It was thought that as the ship drew ( near to the equator, the skipping rope would become somewhat of a burden, due to the heat, but all have been surprised at the remarkable coolness of the weather throughout the journey. After the warm-up period there is each day a half-hour of exercises, as it was known by many in the army, good old P.T. It was early appreciated, who had had the previous benefit of this, in the army, and who had not. However now each and everyone is an expert at every kind of physical exercise and not the least amongst the party to show outstanding ability in this direction is the team coach. In fact, he just seems to revel in the physical side of training, and as day follows day his eyes can be seen to be taking on a brighter glow as he watches his team being welded into a football machine. One can almost see him rubbing his hands with glee as his brain schemes and plans the many moves and counter-moves that are to be used when once again the team step on to a football field.

Following the exercises comes a period of medicine ball work. Early in the trip it was mentioned by some that this type of exercise was aptly named but with the passage of the weeks each and everyone has become an expert with the heavy ball. Now many are the games of spirited deck tennis that are played between the various members of the team. A competition has been arranged for the Atlantic portion of the journey and it is hoped to advise the champions at medicine ball later. All Possible Exercise The rest of the training has been devoted to scrummaging work and team talks and the limited other exercise possible on board a crowded ship. The whole of the day’s programme has been fully occupied and in the evenings many entertainments have been organised by the various parties and officials aboard the liner. The Kiwi team, ably assisted by wrestler, Paul Boesch, .were the ring leaders in a race meeting which was one of the highlights of the"voyage to date. The manner in which the whole of the team conduct themselves has earned praise on all sides, and many people aboard the ship are awaiting

the arrival in England to enable them to see the team-play. This is due only to the esteem in which the Kiwi team is held by*all .aboard.

HURNDELLRETURNING TO DOMINION

AUCKLAND, This Day.

As a result of an illness which developed shortly after the Rangitiki

left New Zealand, the Auckland forward, C. Hurndell, is returning to New Zealand. On the advice of the ship’s doctor, it was considered that Hurndell would be unable to play throughout the Kiwi Rugby League team's tour and it was decided that he should leave the party at the first convenient port of call and await transport back to the Dominion.

No announcement has been made as to whether it is intended to send a replacement for Hurndell from New Zealand.

MR J. BROUGH TO

ACT AS ADVISER

(Rec. 10 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 15. Mr J. Brough, a former Leeds international full-back, will act in an advisory capacity to the New Zealand Rugby League team which will play its first match against St Helens on September 25.

Replacements In Coast Representative Teams

Owing to injuries, Mel. Ord, J. Higson and J. Soster are not available for the West Coast representative teams to play Wellington at the weekend. They have been replaced by A. McLure, K. Mosley and C. Manson.

The final selection of the two teams will be announced later in the week.

Ruling On Interchange

Of Players Sought

The Schoolboys’ Board of Control of the West Coast Rugby League at its meeting last evening decided to request a ruling from the Board of Control regarding the interchange of players between A and B teams in the same grade. This decision followed a discussion on a letter from the Kumara club.

Present at the meeting were Messrs N. Messenger (chairman), W. Moore, E. Henderson. B. Rathbun, T. Merriman and the Rev. Bro. Hubert.

The report of the manager of the West Coast team which competed in the Dominion tournament was received as satisfactory. It was decided to request all clubs to provide more coaches for the school teams.

Reporting on the Dominion conference of school control boards, the chairman said that the next tournament would be held in Taranaki in May when a team to tour Australia would be selected. He had been nominated as a vice-president on the New Zealand Schoolboy Council and 'Mr T. Wilson (Auckland had been selected as West Coast delegate to the council.

Votes of thanks were passed to the Canterbury Schoolboy Board for entertaining the West Coast team and to the Rev. Bro. Hubert and Mr Moore for their services as managers for the West Coast teams which recently played against Canterbury.