THE TRIAL GAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19057, 30 June 1925, Page 6

THE TRIAL GAMES.

1 CLEVER SOUTHERN FORWARDS. The weather conditions for Saturday's trial games at Carlaw Park were certainly very disappointing for the New Zealand League Council. The day will long be * rehiembered . bv., the spectators, many of whom stood for bouts exposed to the rain. The treacherous nature of the : ground, besides- being distressing to the j players,'militated, against good,: last • footj ball, but the games Were watched with 'the keenest interest. The South Island players* were given a warm reception as they walked on. to the ground, i Their team was heavier, than the Northern .combination, whose backs wero small in comparison. ■ • The Southern forwards can be given credit for a very fine display. Seldom have such clever forwards been seen at Carlaw Park,; Keen in the loose, and strong, in the. scrummage, they had all the best of the forward play. It was only the superior pace of the local backs that ' carried the attack so often to tho .Southern line. The visiting back division was s,olid, rather than brilliant, and showed little combination in attack. On a fine day they might have done better. I Llouatt's Fine Display. The best forward: in the South Island team was Mouatt, who was responsible for _tho scoring of ,the whole nine points registered against tho. North Island.. Mouatt tackled hard, and broke through splendidly. He was ever on the ball, and ably captained his team. His display did not, however, overshadow that by Thomas, Ellis, and Henry. These three forwards played high-class football. ■ Their dribbling was good to watch, and each one showed pace qii following up. It will bo interesting"'' to follow their form-' on . a dfy ground. Mears was also. prominent, especially in backing up. ■ ,Tho South Island hooker, Green, was beaten- for tho ball by Townseud. At fullback jßrosnahan was not impressive. He, however, made no mistakes. Tho wings, Parkes and McKay, were solid, but had very few opportunities. At five-eighths, Prescott, the Otago player, was , perhaps tho best of tho rear division, His defence was very solid, and he was alone ift the desire to run with the ball. Fitzgerald, in the centre, played well, btifc like the other backs, got very few opportunities. ' Hfs defence was solid. Saunders at five-eighths was only fair, but he can show better form. Tho halfback, Watts, although very small, showed plenty of pluck in going down to the heaviest bf the forwards.. The North Island Backs. ' The North Island backs showed a willingness to throw the ball about, and in this department they did woll. Wilson-Hall got through a solid afternoon's work jn a satisfactory manner. He was the object', of close attention on the part of the visiting forwards, .but never let up. Tho five-eighths WcthoralJ, and Kirwan, played well together. Wetherall seems to have a partiality for wet grounds. Kirwan ran straight, and made some good openings. Brown on tho wing made some thrilling dashes, and. in one of his efforts showed astonishing. pace. With a clever centre ho will make a great scoring back. His defence, however, needs a little improvement. ■ ■ . ■ . Delgrosso played very ably, and justified his inclusion. Davidson's form was disappointing. He received a nasty knock just a iter the commencement, and in justice to himself should have been .replaced. .Dufty was Well tested at fullback, and came through the ordeal well. He is a useful player in the fullback position. Herring In Good Form. The best of tho Northern forwards was Herring, who scored three tries. He usually shows good form in big football, but Saturday saw him at his best, The selection of Avery lias been adversely criticised, but. on the form displayed ho well deserved his place. In fact, Avery played his best for some considerable time. Bass was a. great worker and .tackled very soundly. He Eave Wil-son-Hall plenty of support. The Wellington representative Carroll is a solid forward, and worked very hard Dixon played well, but. has a bad habit of charging with his h;ad down. He would be well advised to cease this prac- ' tide. Townsend was very unlucky in getting hurt. He regularly beat the opposing hooker for the ball, and must have been considered for selestion. In tho minor trial games played earlier in tho day some good individual form ivas shown. Playing for tho B team, List, tho Kingsland player, showed up as a fine wingJtoeeqTiaitaE. He. has a good jtarn of

speed and was the best of the B team's backs; At five-eighths Greening was sound, and got through his work in fine style. In the A team, Gregory at fullback gave his usual finished display. He should, however, put on speed moro promptly when he fields tho ball. It is a bad habit to hesitate until an opposing player gets too close. Tho. Newton colt, Hargreaves, upheld the reputation that his club claims for him. Ho certainly shows great promise. In the forwards special mention can be made of McDonald and Hawkes, whose form under such trying conditions was first-class.