RUGBY LEAGUE TEAM.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 79, 2 March 1927, Page 10

RUGBY LEAGUE TEAM.

INQUIRY INTO TOUR TROUBLE SENSATIONAL~DISCLOSURES PROMISED.

AUCKLAND, March 1. Despite the very evident agreement which members of the New Zealand League team have arrived at, to say nothing of the troubles which occurred during the tour abroad, it is equally clear from the-little gathered on board the Marama this morning that there will’.be some sensational disclosures when the incidents of the tour form the subject of an inquiry to be held by the New Zealand Rugby League Council on Thursday night. “It has been a wonderful trip, said the captain, B. Avery, “but we were unlucky that there should be trouble shortly after the team left Auckland. However, I cannot say anything about that now, as there is to be an inquiry. Our team would have been a great one if all had held together, and I think that we did very well. Owing to the refusal of some players to take the field we were left with only five forwards to carry on for two months. Players were being shifted about all over the field, and under the circumstances the record of winning 50 per cent, of the matches must be considered satisfactory.” • Like the captain, the managers (Messrs Alair and Ponder) thought the result had been satisfactory, but while they would not discuss the discontent which obtained, they said that the tour from the managerial standpoint had been a most trying ono. The nineteen loyal members of the side who saw the tour through were a bit disappointed that they had not been able to put together a better record. The one or two spoken to on board the ship this morning consider that the malcontents were quite wrong in the attitude they adopted. “There may have been conditions imposed which we did not entirely agreed with, hut most of us were prepared to put up with them, and it was the same for all: If a player had a grievance it was always heard before the whole of the members,” said one member. “If the inquiry to be held is not going to be open to all, then it is not going to do the game any good,” said another. •‘Already the tour has done harm to the game, and -to hush matters up is not going to help any with the public.”