LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

Grey River Argus, 12 October 1922, Page 6

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

LEAGUE NCTEJS. (By “S.g.,q The final for the Wii.ghani Cup av.-i-; a. splendid cont<M, t:.“ :i less draw, 1 lug a ; play. The game itself W:IQ uiustly confined to the forward ? •• •’ and they went :t it with Start to finish, never b-l-ing up. though Bl: ckball lasted tin (»<:.(• • • For Blackball every man of the tl teen played well, net a a weak link ninon ;s! t: full-ljii< k wn< the .■ . : ' ’e. the g me. He scemr 1 !>• bn' • netic attraction for t’rw ba 1 !: e ;■• in the first spell when the Kohinoor pack was better in loose play, the way he marked the ball from forward rushes showing great judgment ami resource on his part. Once in the second spell Mahoney and Steel followed a k.ck that landed over II 1! ’s Im seemed certain for Kohinoors. the ba 1 bounced clear over the forwards’ h euE, and came back to Hull who promptly helped it further up U.ie a a stroke of pure Im k tor 1» nch.b and so far as I saw. the only lucky incident of the game. Kells pi yed a sound game, but hardly got one , i othe ball to be as dangerous as his ski'd warranted. It would have paid Bia wball to have played I is wing n> tm- ;:::•! | quarter. To id. at e- etre, handled well, | his C tel.ing of the bail besll' le- o.i to more youtl ful play, rs (..*. side. Bond, on the wing, did md La - ." a great deal to do, doing well what did come his way. He alone saved Blackball from deih at wi broke three;;!'. n I.L <>v/:i n;e.' it I Streaked for the line, ibmd cut across , and overh tiled h m al.out five ynr-fs i short of the goal line. No other B; i ball bmd: had th- to- to e!!’e. I , save, Rhodes ami J. Ne’Aon .lid v. .di at five-eighths. The latter player spoiled a great a f iernmm’s work hy running into the ruck in the elosnig stages, when Koh.r.oor were tiring, jbe I open game at this .stage may h;.ve v. :>:i I the match for h's shim but l.e prefer- | re.l to try and run through the D am I himself. Ju.-d a word on tackling. Everybody likes to see a real good soiitl tackle, but it. is not necessary to poke your hand into yoiir opponent’s face every time aon tuck’.e him. B'e’d-on i. d this repeatedly on bat mday, the lotions being not •• • 1 l.y I . adverselv commented on, yet there were three officials who : these things and. so far as I saw, none of them pulled him up for i*. L.im umpires are expvet-u ’o help tl.e referee in cases of rough play an I - bstr.wi mi, etc., but how f. anything to help control the game. Tippett at half did not open up th- garni' much, probably playing to instruciu He stood a rare grm Hing posing forwards and m ver iiimdi-u. Ihe forwards played’ a great gam greatly strengthened by (’’ar Hansen. The front r- w trio, Long. Neilson and Hansen, w-re e\er in thick of the fray, whilst (’!• rk, (’urn mings and Skelton ssi loose. Skelton, in particular, was ruining over the opposing players in t >• last 10 minutes, .bvom-t rating the ■ feet of being well tru med. In my opinion he and Mahoney have been the most consistently good forwards of the rear, and of the two. Sk better type of League, his hand! being superior. O’i the Koh mi were two backs who did not ex: d iy inspire confidence. 1 refer to Giflney nt full-back and McKeown nt wing, both players filling the positions owing I > selected players being unable to p ay. Thomas at full-back ami in his usual form, would have made aI ig dilion nrc. Giffney did one er two good things, but one would l ave pr< ferre 1 him in the pack. One thing he does do, :nd ti ed is tackle, and some of the forwards don't do that. McKeown uc . r let tlu side down, yet lie seemed nervous am.! unaccustomed to the class of play. Malloy and Howley both did well, yet Howley had a chance to mark r< front of the posts In the l:i-t quart w. He caught the ball ole n, Lad a pot. and missed the opening, thus a «.i.• of winning the gam- was 10-. t. A mail; | about 15 yards from the posts should have counted two points. The fi\eeighths, Smith awl Bimmer, were thpick of the bark-, Ike iT.-:n-r showing the headiest play of any hack on view. Il’s d-f- a ■ w: < ■ ' -nt. : kick to the op-u without exception. dummy nr i 1: I:i nt a- an . 1 er who should improx - t r play consideiablv, while fit- low ta- klr and general play stamp k::n as :: fin ished player, fit to pwy in any t-a-:. Bimmer is a player of the n ppy typ e He bobs up from nowh; re, snaps i:p the ball :nd clears i fore real:.- • he is there. 11 i- fault is th-. ; a very bad paw;, often to the toes. This could b- remedied by a litt'm steadiness, ami wouul improv his piny 50 per cent. ( game at half, not means, more of a s</.d sort who never flinches from t 1 1 - . ■-t i to the core. Now lie Las a --ic> l man I behind him ho ou l to !■ t!. ■ haii out clean often, r. I‘i .d ledge of poor suppoiv b-l.ind has been the means of Lai!-; - a id ■ , up to now. The furwu i , w- -1. i in the firt spell, without e\-r 1 . w ing the pronounced superiority iht y I showed over Ru: . ... i : . Blight and Leach were most prominent. I Mahoney got :i '• ■ 01' i he played : s well as nr.;, nne. JP. q in gl'i .'it nil!;. Err", i hurl I. !■ and was in . for such a gruellii ee.ii i had two great chances to score, h l could not gather the ball. At one time the oval eluded the gr: sp of three forwards

who only had to pick it up and ml over tin* line unopposed. L -a-h 'w-l : chance by going determinedly for thline, but looked round for fujport, am event .i.'iliy passed to a supporting play er who had not as good a chance a. him elf. Lim did not play :s well a: ii'iial, yd he was md ba I by .any means Tii- referee, Ted Smith, l-t a lev things go, evidently concentrat i.ug O' the rule fiiat a minor brem-h t br.’l no be penalised unless it be a <iedimadvantage to the side making tin breach. Th.e result was a fust forwarf game from start to finish, one gratify in?; feature being a fall 80 minutewithout one single stoppage for injur' 2< r cause uf any kind. The in-idem: 1 that will linger in the minds of on lookers are Stun Smith's sid-ndu streak for the line ami Bond’s spe<t:i cular save; also dark Neilson'.-, ir r. luck, after a determined sprint for tie corner, in knocking the corner fla: a: h- was tackled by (>' i -y. A word to the Centre, get some gate k'-epers for the I'iii’ee entraw.-es. Sono t\ w supporters will walk ,-ii.rc the ba-d: way uad pay nt the front but quite a lot won't, while on S.ilnr day 1 heard of some who actually roeup in a car and then climbed thromd the fence in preference to walking pmd I hi* man at the gate, eollectir.g t m needful to provide them with sport (treat sports, eh!