RUGBY LEAGUE Country May Be Too Strong For Town Side

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1948, Page 3 (Supplement)

RUGBY LEAGUE Country May Be Too Strong For Town Side

There was a lot of merit in the Hokitika suggestion, adopted at Tuesday’s meeting of the West ('oast Rugby League, that matches between Town and Country teams in the senior and reserve grades be made annual fixtures. As pointed out by one delegate, they will be invaluable as trials when representative teams are to be selected and should make it possible for “interesting” trials to be heal.

There is one draw-back this season, however, in both grades. It appears that the dice is heavily loaded in favour of the proposed ‘‘country” area, embracing Rutianga, Ngahere. and Blackball, and it will be a surprise 'i the “town” area can produce a team capable of beating or even running close the country thirteen. It so happens this season that two of the three leading teams on the West Coast are in the country ana they have a big' majority of the play,ers who have secured representative honours.

Thus, on paper at least, it appears that it would be optimistic to expect an even game this year. At the same time, there is no reason why the

game should not prove interesting and it may settle a lot of arguments as to the relative merits of players who have been close contestants for earlier honours. Now that it has been decided to play the match, speculation as to the likely personnel of the two teams will commence. As an Indication of the relative merits of the teams, two possible teams are .suggested, as follows:—

Country.—R. Nuttall; J. Curragh, J. Soster, J. Forrest; M. Thomas. G. Menzies; L. Sweetman: K. Mountford, C. Mcßride. D. McVicar, J. Newton, R. Aynsley, R. O’Donnell. Town. —A. Hines; M. Teen. V. Meates, L. Beban; I. Marley, J. Curnow; T. Dunn; J. Mundy, R. Neilson, R. Lee. A. Gillman, P. Coll, F. Maiioy.

Of course, there arc a number of alternatives to the above teams, but they are two combinations, fairly representative of the two divisions suggested, and indicative of the strong hand held by the country. In fact, it comes very close to the West Coast team versus the rest.

In the senior reserve .section, the position is aggravated by the fact that Hokitika at present has not produced a reserve team, which would mean that the onus of providing the town team would fall on Marist and Cobden.