APATHY SHOWN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20208, 29 March 1940, Page 2

APATHY SHOWN

i? REP. PLAYERS i, I RUGBY IN WAIROA ' l VALUE STRESSED (Special to tiie Herald.) x WAIROA. this day. /Reference to the apathy displayed • some seriior footballers with reenrd _to representative fixtures coniaihecl'',TiT f *tFie"anriual report of the management committee of the Wairoa County Rugby Sub-Union was the subject of some comment at the annual meeting of the sub-union on Wednesday but no action was taken. Dealing with the statement in the repbrt" that club football was supporting representative matches in Wairoa instead of representative fixtures assisting* club football, Mr. R. J. Powdrell stated that if there had been no - representative games last season club football would have been down to nil. He contended that if there were no- All Black fixtures in New Zealand the standard of representative football in this country would slump.. Players turned out in club games with the object of endeavouring to qualify for representative honours. The secretary, Mr. W. G. Brownlie, said he agreed with Mr. Powdrell up to a point, but asked what would happen if All Black fixtures were run on the same lines as the Wairoa representative games? Mr. B. E. Parkinson contended that club football in Wairoa had not supported representative fixtures. The gate takings .showed that representative football in Wairoa had benefited the sub-union, and that these fixtures had supported themselves. The treasurer, Mr. H. S. Nightingale, pointed out that Mr. Parkinson in his reference to the gate takings had not taken into consideration the fact that 25 per cent of the takings went to the Borough Council. Mr. Brownlie said it was not the standard that was being criticised, but the apathy of the players themselves. Time and time again it had been necessary to scour the town for players. He instanced one occasion last season in a match with Poverty Bay. when, he was ashamed of the team that, was taken to Gisborne. Mr. Powdrell said the sub-union would not have received £lO5 from club games if there had been no representative fixtures during the season. In his opinion the club takings would have been reduced by half it no representative football had been played. Mr. W. S. Bilbrough suggested that the selector should make sure a man was available before he was chosen. If once let down, he should see that it did not occur again. There was no further discussion on the subject,