NEW RUNANGA FORWARD MAY BE AN ASSET

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

NEW RUNANGA FORWARD MAY BE AN ASSET

Runanga produced a new forward aaginst Blackball on Sunday and, although he gave away several penalties near the goal line, mainly through over-eagerness, he looked as though he will ultimately prove an acquisition. . .

The newcomer is L. Giles and it is stated- that he last played for the Ponsonby (Auckland) club, in the senior reserve grade. Only 19 years of age, he weighs over 14st and is solidly built. He impressed on Sunday by good positional play and by fast breaking from the scrum. In i fact, he was too fast on occasions and ! came under the eye of the referee, j The fact that he was twice penalised I in a few minutes seemed to take some of the “sting” out of his play, but he will be watched with interest in future . games. »

; Higson Prominent I Easily the best Runanga forward on ! Sunday was the hooker, J. Higson. Against Marist the previous week he I was suffering from the after-effects i of influenza and did not show up, but I on Sunday he was always in the thick lof the fray. Perhaps his strongest I point was the manner in which he 1 got the ball away to the backs from the play-the-ball. Higson’s play as dummy half-back is an object lesson to most of the forwards on the West Coast. It will be a sad blow to Runanga if the knee injury which he received towards the end of Sunday’s game keeps him out of the team to travel to Auckland. An unlucky forward in the Runanga team is the big front row man. F. Thompson. Seldom does he get through a match without a “knock" and again on Sunday he received several blows which took some of the sting out of his play. In spite of this, however, he was one of the best forwards in the Runanea pack and as he is still young for senior football ,he can be expected to be a strong contender for the representative team next season.

Improving Forward | In the same class is the Blackball I second row player. L. Kerr, who appears to be improving with eveiy match. Kerr’s greatest asset at present is his fitness, which enables him to keep up with the play, no matter how strenuous the play. He is of robust build, if not big, and should also go far in the game. R. Baxendale (Runanga) is another improving forward, and he gave one of his best displays to date on Sunday. He has had a hard row to hoe this season. in being opposed to breakaways of the class of K. Mountford and J. Mundy, but it is obvious that the .lessons have not been lost on him.