Coast Full-back Deserved Run For South Island

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 September 1949, Page 4 (Supplement)

Coast Full-back Deserved Run For South Island

For a long time now J. Lindbom, the young Cobden player, has been taken for granted as West Coast’s full-back. He has played consistently well for his province for the past six years. He has approached the standard required for nomination as a candidate for South Island and New Zealand honours, but his rejection has not always come as a surprise.

This year, however, Lindbom’s outstanding play during a heavy representative programme and in many South Island centres, brought home to many followers of the game his true value as a last-line of defence. But it has failed to influence the three men who after travelling around the island to see the more important fixtures, have announced the team to represent the South Island in the annual match against the North Island.

The South Island has had some solid full-backs in the past few years, but T. R. D. Webster, J. W. Goddard, J. W. Kelly and now R. Orr have hardly shown themselves to be outstanding or certainties for the position. In fact, Webster, Goddard and Orr have gone on to attain New Zealand honours, but have failed to distinguish themselves in the highest company. This year’s South Island full-back, R. Orr, has been chosen after being rejected from the New Zealand team as an obvious failure after only one appearance—in the first test against Australia.

Lindbom may not be another R., W. H. Scott, but it would not have been too much to expect that he might have been -given a chance in higher company this year. Any doubts about his play would surely have been satisfied then in the most satisfactory manner. Only 25, Lindbom has proved to be a great asset to West Coast Rugby. He has scored 129 points this year, and in his total is about half of the points scored by the West Coast side. Several times he has obtained the team’s entire points in a match, one instance being last Saturday when, with a try and two penalty goals, he scored West Coast’s nine points against Wellington. ■ , This is, perhaps, Lindbom’s peak year and in many quarters it will be regarded as a pity that he has not been accorded higher honours.