RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Northern Advocate, 6 June 1912, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

AUCKLAND'S PROFESSIONAL AMATEURS.

Writing in the "Free Lance" last week, "Touchline," "who has always been a good authority on Rugby Football matters, opens out in fine style on the manner in which the Auckland Rugby Union foster what is supposed to be purely amateur football by mean's-of monetary allowances. The subject is interesting to players in the Whangarei district, because the question of- amateur v. professional has formed the theme of many street corner arguments, and on at least one memorable occasion was debated between two well-known footballers at a smoke concert which was being given as a eend-off for one of the best footballers in the district, and one who was an amateur pure and simpla, playing the game for what it was worth. <'TouchJine" writes:—

It has always been a tradition in football circles that the Auckland Rugby Union been in the habit of making payments in or kind to their representative players. And now George Gillet, at; the Northern League mieetiig last week, stated straight out that in his amateur days he received money for playing as an Auckland representative. Undoubtedly the "All Black" wing forward made his damaging statement with the ob~" ject of showing that the government of Rugby football was not so lily ■white amateur in some places as it claimed to TTate t tut surely Gillet would have remembered the many kindnesses he receivel in the heydey of his playing career from his numerous Auckland friends, particularly tho&e who were members of the Ponsonby Club. It is well konwn that Gillet theratcned on more than one occasion to retire from playing, *and it is alleged that it was mainly because vf presentations that were made to him that he kept playing Itugby as long as he did. T challenged the New Zealand Rugby Union to make enquiry into Gillett'S case many years ago, when positive information given me of a subscription list that went round a steamer that was taking the Auckland and Wellington representatives for a trip round the Hauraki Gulf. They shirked their duty on that occasion, and now Gillett, id pushing forward the claims of the Northern Union game, is using his own experiences as a Whip to scourge their backs with.

I am now prepared to go even further, and Invite the New Zealand Rugby Union to ask the Auckland body what payment in money or kind they make the country players who are invited to come to the city and, stay there for weeks on end, wii!h a view to playing in representative games? It stands to reason that many flayers whose names I could mention—but. Gillett will do, as ha was a country player when fir§t he got into the Auckland representative team—could noe spare the time fiJcjiii their ordinary employment witlfQut receiving payment of one sort or ..another. Verily, there have been instances of in variouk parts of New Zealand in times that are the Aucklanders have been the worst of all—but things must change. The Rugby game does not want men i;i it who desire to be paid through following their bent for pleasure, and the sopner they are" out of it the bet 7 ter. For -my part/ t would: rather >ateh a game of Rugby in which the flayers consddler the pleasure they got put of the game first and foremost:, rather than gaze upon 'an exhibition—no matter how spectacular it might be—in which the weekly remuneration was the standard of the ability of the players. I believe in all Jforms of athletic exercises as form^ , of pleasure, not as a means of gaining coin if the realm. -