FOOTBALL DISGRACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19550, 1 February 1927, Page 13

FOOTBALL DISGRACE.

•LEAGUE TEAM'S TROUBLES. DISSATISFIED PLAYERS. REFUSAL TO TAKE FIELD. POSITION OF THE MANAGERS. [FKOJt OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON, Dec. 28. Dissension among the New Zealand Rugby League players broke out again and five forwards refused t,o play in the match against Yorkshire at Huddersfield because Mi'. E. H. Mail-, the team manager, had again joined the selection committee. To complete die team a threequarter had to play as a forward, and Yorkshire won by 17 points to 16. The five players, Ce.rroll, Henry, Define, Peterson and Singe, were concerned, along with Mouat, the vice-captain, who is now in hospital, and Wright, who is not fit, in the previous trouble, which was only settled -when Mr. E. Osborne, the chairman of the Eugby League, and Mi".-J- Wilson, tho secretary, at the request of the New Zealand Council, acted .as mediators. Then, il, will be recalled, Mr. Mair agreed to retire from the selection committee for a month, and the seven players, all forwards, agreed to resume with the team. The five players concerned alleged that Mr. Mair had retufned without the position being reviewed, as was promised •when tho November agreement was reached. On December 16 Mr. Mair received ' notification from the Rugby League that at a meeting of the New Zealand subcommittee —the committee of the league c -which has been directly concerned with the tour—it had been decided that the arrangement which was made at Harrogate six weeks ago should continue until jiuch time as the committee ruled otherwise. This decision means that Mr. Mair •will stand out. of tho selection committee, leaving the work to be done by those who have been in authority since the last trouble, Mr. G. H. Ponder, the financial manager, Avery, the captain, and Mouat, the vice-captain. Manager to Regain Control. At the request of Mr. Ponder and Mr. Mair, a Yorkshire Post representative visited the toufists at their headquarters at Harrogate, and there he was given the following statement, which was read over to them and approved:—"Tho New Zealand managers arc in control of the New Zealand team, ?,nd will remain in ' control until the end oi: the tour. Arrangements are now being made to suspend the men who have broken discipline and refused to turn out with the side. This is demanded by some of the loyal players, who say that if those who have , refused to stand by i;ho team and New Zealand on the tour are not dealt with, they will ask to be allowed to return home. Mr. Mair has received an intimation from the Rugby League that he has to regard the arrangement come to a month ago that he sti.nds down from the selection committee as still being in force. Tho New Zealand headquarters refuses to accept this." "Star Chamber" Methods. Mr. Ponder told a representative of the Yorkshire Post that he was not prepared to accept this decision of the Rugby League until they had been given' an opportunity of statin;; their case. "I regard the decision," ho said, "as one savouring of 'star chamber' methods, and think in fairness to ourselves (the managers and the 19 loyal players) that we r. ho aid have been given an opportunity of attending this meeting or of expressing ouO views. We have absolute evidence that in the ironth in which Mr. Mair has stood dowc. some of the seven re,en who liUve been the cause of the trouble have broken discipline. Is it fair that the 19 loyal players should be made the scapegoats for seven men who right, from tho outset of i;he tour have set themselves out to defy law and order in the camp ?" The New Zealand managers point out that all along these seven men have refused to be coached or attend to their training, a.; they shoi.ld do. Mr. Ponder says that when Mr. Mair was in charge of the team 11 matches were won out of 16, while since ho has been out of that position only two games have been won out of nine. Mr. Hair's Sacrifice, Both ilr. Mair and Avery, the captain, state that when the first trouble was settled there was no arrangement made that the matter would be reviewed at the end of the month, and Mr. Mair stated that he only went off for a month to make "a sacrifice for New Zealand—hot through any weakness of my case." "At that stage," he went on, "with illness and injuries to players, it was not fiossible to. carry on without the seven orwards who had refused to play. They refused to capitulate, so for the game, ■ for New Zealand and the players who had been loyal to the management, I made the sacrifice so that the team would not be sent home." A Peace Announcement. After all these various statements had been made and full publicity given to them, which by the way has beeu of little credit to Ne\v Zealand and its League players, tho sub-committee and the League Council had a prolonged conference in Manchester. The official peace announcement is:— "The council confirms the action of the sub-committee with regard to the " suspension of Mr. Mair until January 10, and it supports the suspension of the players who have refused to play. It is proposed to continue the tour if Mr. Fonder is prepared to carry on as manager. "Failing the acceptance of this resolution, the whole party must return on December 31. After January 10 Mr. Mair can resume his duties as manager if he so desires." Sir. Ponder accepted the decision without. prejudice. The managers, for the first, time during the tour, received the support of the council in regard to their'(the managers) suspension of Mouat (the vice-captain), Singe. Petersen, Devine, Henry, Carrol and Wright, the seven forwards who, because Mr. Mair had returned to duty, refused to play. Mouat is, unfortunately, ill. and in hospital. but as a party to the "strike" the suspension operates in his case equally with the others. Last week, Mr. Ponder was insistent that stern disciplinary action should be taken in regard the seven forwards, and bv the terms of the agreement signed by every player the New Zealand Council gave power to the managers to suspend players guilty of breaches of discipline, Presumably, the council sdniitted the justice of the managers' request to lie masters in their own house. No decision \vas arrived at respecting j'he players being sent back to New Zealand in advance of their loyal colleagues, but the matter is m the hands of Mr. Fonder, and presumably Avery, the capjam. If they decide that in the interests of the whole partv the malcontents should be sent, home the ? Rugbv league will agree. Them j s 110 longer any doubt that the visit of the New Zealand Rugby League 1 curing party will result in a financial loss I * n u i un^erta^'-n S- And this loss has be borna by the Eugby League Coun- j