LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Grey River Argus, 15 February 1946, Page 3

LEAGUE FOOTBALL

ADDRESS BY MR. W. M. KELLY Rugby League and its future on the Coast and in New Zealand in general, was discussed ot a meeting held last night, when Mr. W. M. Kelly, the well known Australian Rugby League Administrator addressed a gathering, representative of the West Coast Rugby League Centre. Although a native of Westport, Mr. Kelly now resides in Sydney, and has played in New Zealand and Australian League teams. He was introduced' by Mr. L. Hunter, vice-president of the West Coast Centre who said Mr. Kelly was probably one of the best authorities on the Code in the world. After retiring from active play, he had coached teams from schoolboy class to international status. Mr. T. McKenzie, secretary of the local League also spoke in eulogistic terms of the sterling qualities of Mr. Kelly, both t.s a player and as a coach. Mr. Kelly, commented on the early days of the West Coast stating that for years the district had been isolated from the rest of New Zealand, and' during that period, Coasters had little chance to get anywhere in the field of sport. He mentioned several sportsmen, athletes, footballers, and axemen who in the early days had left the Coast, and with greater opportunities offered outside, had climbed to the top of the laddei. He was pleased when he had learned that so many Coasters had’ gained representative honours during the last few years, and suggested that now the Coast had made a name for itself in the Code, it. should do everything to encourage other centres to visit. Referring to the unbeaten record of the Blackball team over the past few seasons, he maintained that, a team could only reach that standard by strict training, and attention to detail. "If a man is not prepared' to take his training seriously, and to work fully in the interests of his team, he is not entitled to don a jersey,” said Mr. Kelly. He referred to the fact that the game on the Coast was played on Sundays, and supposed that one difficulty might be that, of getting players over Friday and Saturday nights. An important factor in making the game a success, was to have sound administration. The need was for players and committees to co-operate. Jealousy, he maintained, was one of the greatest stumbling blocks. Players had to maintain a team spirit, and to obey the coach’s instructions. RUGB/ VERSUS LEAGUE Mr. Kelly spoke of feeling as between Rugby League, and Rugby Union. "I may be treading on foreign soil” he said, “but to make a distinction between the games by calling one amateur and placing it m a class above one that is called professional, is nothing short of beinghypocritical. One is below the table, and the other is above board.’ He contended that if a man did’ a job, he should be paid for it, and the greater the remuneration he received the better that was if the job were well done. , "Considering that there are many persons who will willingly stand on the sideline and watch the efforts of men who have applied a lot of time to training themselves to become fit enough, they should be, and are willing to pay for what they get,” he said, lie stated that in Australia, first grade players would make as much as £2OO in a season. In answer to a question, he said that first grade referees received £5 a match. Mr. Kelly answered several questions regarding the Code, and th reference to the possibility of a visit of an Australian team, he said that if and when they arrived in New Zealand, the team would be comprised' of men trained to the minute, and would prove a tough proposition to all comers.

A vote of thanks to the speaker was carried bv acclamation.