FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11771, 28 September 1901, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

THE GRAFTON-CITY MATCH. The much-talked-of Cup match, Grafton y. City, which was set down for decision this afternoon, hat been declared " off" by the Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union, and rightly so, too, as to have played it would have been nothing short ol a farce as matters stand at present. Had there been the slightest prospect of getting the full strength of the rival districts in the field, with the men fit and well, it would have clearly been the duty oi the Rugby Union to have given the City fifteen satisfaction—tl,ey are not convinced that the Gratton Club possesses the strongest team in thb

district competitions, and would have liked another " go" at the wearers of the black-and-white uniforms, just to settle the mattoi —but under the existing circumstances . a match would have little or no value in deciding the respective merits of the teams, as both sides would haves to play minus the services of some of their crack men, and with others who have been out of training foi weeks past. For instance, the Grafton Club would have to find substitutes fo. Thompson (threequarter), Taylor (five-eighths), Rod McGregor (forward), , and probably others; while City would not be able to play either George Smith (their crack threequarter) or George Tyler (unquestionably . one of the finest forwards in the colony to-day). Further than this, the weather is now getting too warm and the ground too hard for football. WELLINGTON CRITICS ON AUCKLAND PLAY AND PLAYERS. Although the football season is now over and the Auckland-Wellington match is numbered with the events of the past, it is always interesting to local followers of the Rugby game to hear what others think of our p,ay and players, and this is my excuse for reproducing extracts from the comments of Wellington critics on the Auckland touring team of 1901. Reviewing the game " Drop-kick," who is most impartial in his criticism, says:— the first half, the Wellington forwards played mostly to their six backs, who mado a better show of passing than their five opponents, out were not individually so strong. The weak link in the Auckland chain was the centre three-quarter. It was perhaps the Auckland forwards, dashers every one, that bore the brunt of the work of beating down the attack, and their superiority in the scrum was very noticeable. Time and again Brady and Tyler got possession, Cuuningham nursed the ball or picked it up with his knees, the scrum wan screwed, and the visiting pack went off with the leather at toe. In the open, the Wellington forwards generally held their own, both sides putting in some splendid rushes, but Auckland had the advantage in. line-out work.

The first half of the second term was remarkable for hard kicking arid wasted time, also for the strong rushes of the Wellington forwards, who were now playing their own game, and playing it well. The Auckland forwards at this stage seemed exhausted by their hard work in the first half, and the result hung in the balance. Dodd had hard luck in falling just short of the visitors' line, and deserved a try for his bit of work. It was not till Smith got fairly into distress, •and Rod. McGregor had to leave the field, that Auckland fairly woke up. The pack, though one short, responded gamely, and concerted play by Tyler, Kiernan, and Buckland ended in a try, which Buckland supplemented by scoring another in the corner opposite to his own wing position. Of the visitors Sutherland made a most favourable impression, ,vhich is not the case with all the full backs Aucklands sends here. According to Auckland press critics, Sutherland seems to lack consistency. He had heaps of it on Saturday. It would be hard to get two more dangerous wing three-quarters than Buckland and Asher. Both are small, but nuggety and weighty, and either of them can run, on field or track, with the best. Buckland socures the palm, because he is cooler, and more resourceful in defence. But nothing more brilliant than some of Asher's dashes has been seen hero this season.

The disablement of Smith who had hurt his shoulder in the Auckland-New South Wales match, not only deprived the visitors of his own attacking powers, but left the two wings for the most part unfed. The full effect of this handicap is hardly realised. Had it not been that Buokland, with his two tries, repeated to some extent Smith's sensasational performance in Wellington in 1897, the Aucklanders would have gone away with a very unsatisfactory draw. 11. McGregor, skippei and five-eighths, had three halves in front of him and generally preferred sending the ball on to attempting a "beat." His defence was as sound as ever, and it was needed. Kiernan, at half, was seen at bis best, and a few games like that before August 31 would have earned him a New Zealand rep. cap. He repeatedly beat the opposing halves, he took the ball cleanly, and he shares with Buckland the honours of his side as far as tho scoring backs are concerned. His most successful bit of work was in the getting of the second try. It does not take long to pick Tyler'as the best of the forwards. Hie led most of the rushes, and initiated several passing runs, one of them leading up to the above-men-tioned score. Cunningham was a good second in the line-out and in the open, and proved himself a mastei of scrum tactics. S. Smith's height helped him in the line-out, and Brady, Bakewell, Nicholson, and Rod. McGregor all did their bit. Of the four, writer favours Bakewell. Doran and S. McGregor made a clever non-scrapping pair of wings. The former put in some good footwork, and was fortunate in his openings. Another writer—the Wellington correspondent of a Canterbury paper says Wellington met its first reverse on its own ground, and its third of the season, at the hands of Auckland. It was a fair trial of strength, and tho result (nine to three— tries to one) must be accepted as a fair indication of the respective strength of the provinces. The game was hard fought, and fluctuated variously throughout. The Auckland team was all that is claimed for it—the backs light on the whole, but strong and fast; the forwards a cluster of grafters, busybodies that hadn't a waster among them From seeing the games put up by Wellington against New South Wales, Taranaki. and Auckland, this scribe is convinced that they played much below form on their southern trip'. Furthermore, he would go along way to see a meting between this years Canterbury and Auckland teams.

HERE AND THERE.

The Grafton District Football Club will send a team to Whangaro next Saturday. Rod McGregor has not been himself at all since he received a knock on the head in the recent Wellington-Auckland match but readers will be pleased to hear that he is on the right road to complete recovery. ' The members of the Auckland team were greatly pleased with the form shown by Dr. Fookes, the Taranaki threequarter back, in the recent interprovincial match, and New Plymouth critics agree that it was about the best exhibition he has given Since he returned from the Old Country. W Wallace, the Wellington representative player, is taking up his residence in Napier —Wellington's loss, Napier's gain. IMS player and Buckland (Thames) are mentioned by a Southern writer as a couple ol the most promising young backs in the colony. , , ~,, ... Commenting on the Auckland-Wellington match a Wellington football scribe says: — A good deal of discussion has taken place a.- to whether Bakewell's gathering in of the ball on Saturday could bo termed a knockon If it is, then anything is a knock-on, and the last try should also have been disallowed, because the pass dropped from Buokland s hand on to his foot before he followed up and scored. Oil the whole, it is fairly clear that Auckland, in the first half, was deprived of a legal try and given an illegal one, the one credited to Rod McGregor after Slattery had forced down. \ keen judge of the game, who witnessed the Auck'land-Taranaki match, says that while the blue and whites should certainly have done better against the players of the butter country, there was only one try that was really thrown away. Had George Smith, fit and well, been in as centre threequarter, he thinks Auckland would have won by a substantial majority of points. The district scheme of football introduced in the Poverty Bay district for the first time during the season just closed, proved a great success. Ihe game, which last year languished for want of spectators, i« now very popular, and good gates were secured every Saturday. The general standard of play is also said to be improving.

The New South Wales team on their arrival back in Sydney from New Zealand presented to Mr." Henderson a gold and opal collar-stud and a set of gold sleeve-links, as souvenirs of their regard. Those gifts wer.? accompanied by a letter (signed by every member of the team), in which they place on record their appreciation of the very able and capable manner in which ho has performed the arduous duties of manager. Mr. Henderson certainly deserved the appreciation, and will m- doubt value it highly.

Southern writers are wondering why Geo. Tyler was not nominated for the New Zealand team, and two or three of the leading critics mention Sutherland, Asher, Buckland, and Kiernan as men who, on their play during the recent tour, showed better form than some of those who gained places in the team in question.

The Wanganui players proved a very even lot of backs, and their fullback, Takarancci, a Maori, was excellent, his taking being certain. He always found his line, and was quick, besides tackling splendidly. He is only a youth, and should turn out one of the host in New Zealand. He certainly was the best fullback wo met.—Mr. J. Henderson' in the Referee. v .

A scratch team from the City Football Club visited Aratapu last Saturday and played a drawn garno with the local fifteen, each side scoring three points. The game was closely contested, and the scorers were Kelly (a try for Aratapu) and Stevens (a penalty goal for • City). Mr. "Joe" Molloy, who was in charge of the visiting team, has since been accorded a hearty vote of thanks by the members for bis able management.

After touching on the Auckland-Welling-ton match, the Southern writer "Drop Kick" mentions the fact that neither the ; Canterbury nor the Auckland. representatives have suffered defeat in their interprovincial engagements this season, and then, winds up as follows:—"Both unions will, no doubt, claim to be the champions of the year, and under the circumstances they should be bracketed as equal." "Writing from Enmore a friend of Charles ("Jock") McGregor, the well-known Thames and Auckland representative footballer, who went to South Africa some months ago, asks me what lias become of him. Two or three weeks back I gave particulars of the whereabout of " Jock," the information having reached mo through an Auckland friend who had received a letter, but evidently the paragraph escaped the eye of my correspondent. He was then in the employ of the Capetown Stock Department, and was some few miles out of town.

In the course of an interesting review of the New Zealand-New South Wales match, published in the Sydney Referee, Mr. J. Henderson, who managed the touring team, admits that the best team the State could place in the field would not hold its own with a representative team from this colony. Commenting on the individual players he speaks in glowing terms of .1. Duncan and George Smith. Here is what he thinks of the latter: "Of the threequarters, George Smith (Auckland) was easily first. He runs probably half-second on the field, is better than an ordinary kick, knows every move on the board, and plays it. On defence there axe stronger threequarters, but he is more than useful in this department. In his general play (tackling excepted) he reminds one very much of Charlie White, but is not such a powerful runner as the Sydneyite." Of the New Zealand forwards he ays: — " They are a splendid lot, and on this game it is scarcely fair to individualise, as, having played but one previous game together, they were strange to one another's play. But, if asked for an opinion, J would class O'Dowda, Udy, Purdue, and Cunningham, as the pick. William Arthur Shortland, 8.E., news of whose untimely death reached us by cable a day or two after his return homo with the New South Wales football team was an old Ncwington College boy, and represented the Sydney University at both cricket and football. Leaving the school for the University in 189.4, he soon won distinction there in sport. He has represented New South Wales at football against England, New Zealand (both in New Zealand and at Sydney), Queensland (at Sydney and at Brisbane), and Victoria. Formerly a wing-forward, he had during the last three o. four years played three-quarter and half back. He was an all-round player of much ability, being a good tackier, strong kick, and fast and sure in handling. During the recent tour through New Zealand he was practically captain throughout, as, being vice-captain, he had to take charge in nil the matches, excepting for about 40 minutes in each of two games at Wellington. William Shortland was also a fair cricketer, and in 1898 he made 152 for the Sydney University against the Melbourne University, while a year earlier he got 155 for the same club in the second grade. He was engaged in the Engineering Department under the Water Sewerage Board, and was only 26 years of age. His sudden death is inexpressibly sad. Commenting on the recent Aucklnnd-Tara-naki match a writer in the Budget says: — "As regards the play. Auckland, no doubt, displayed more combination, and against a weaker collaring team than Taranaki would have run up a larger score. As it was T:\ranaki not only stemmed their attacks, but made things lively for them by their loose rushes on many occasions. From start to finish the game was stubbornly fought, and on the play Auckland must admit that thev found Taranaki harder to defeat than they probably thought. The Auckland pack as a whole, were a good even set, and in the scrum work they oulgeneralled their opponents, but in some of the line work and open rushes Taranaki shone out to better advantage. Among the backs there was a good deal of combination, and their short passes placed Taranaki in danger several time--. Kiernan played an excellent game, and Taranaki had to keep a watchful eye on him, considering the clean way the forwards heeled out to him. Buckland proved a speedy customer, and Asher put in a lot of ound useful work. Absolum also displayed good form. McGregor was a bit uncertain at times, but in the second half he shaped much better. Sutherland at full was very safe, and his play was worth witnessing.